Ardor
by Katraa
Summary: In fear of being sued by his best friend, Sora hires corporate attorney Riku Karada who specializes in not only law but romancing young brunettes. [riku x sora]
1. prologue

do not ask me why i start so many stories. in the end I try to finish them all and update frequently. Innovation and bereave will continued to be updated along with this. I just wanted to write this idea so much and try out the Riku personality I gave him. 

**Summary:** Riku Karada is a law-graduate and a new corporate attorney. He is hired by co-president of Erops, Sora Kayaki, to defend him from being sued by his partner and co-president, Xemnas. Riku Karada never takes anything seriously and is only serious in the court. Sora, on the otherhand, is an emotional wreck outside the office, and sometimes in. Both have the book smarts, but when it comes to life, they've just begun to figure it out. But what is the cheerful president hiding about his partner and what is Riku's

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**Ardor**  
Prologue

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_an intense feeling of emotion ; eagerness, passion, or enthusiasm_

He had practiced it for _countless_ days before the meeting. It was the typical hand-shake, introduction, and then straight down to business procedure. It was the type of thing law-school didn't teach you and something common sense provided. All those special techniques and skills you paid a plethora for didn't come in use until _way_ afterwards when you had already nailed the job. And what was the fun in that?

"Riku Karada, right?"

Dressed in a rather stylish black suit was a man around six feet. Give or take an inch. Unruly silver hair was slicked back with hair gel (much to the man's disdain). Piercing emerald hues gave the bland, black-and-white outfit a sudden intense jab of color. The color of the man's eyes matched the tie perfectly. Regardless of his prestigious appearance, the man carried himself quite differently. The whole way up to the vice president's office he had been nearly dancing and singing with praise for himself. And flirting with anything on two legs. He did _a lot_ of that.

The silver-haired male, who was addressed as Riku, set his suitcase down by his feet. The man, who appeared in his early twenties, took a seat in an available chair. In fact, he looked twenty to be exactly, which was a bit unsettling. Wasn't law-school a lot more than a few years?

Riku laced his hands together oh-so-charmingly in his lap as he offered a greeting-like smile towards the person in the chair. To his surprise, the person who sat in it was _younger_ than him. Riku scrunched his nose up involuntarily at the discovery. _The co-president of Erops is younger than me? The hell?_ Riku shifted a bit in his seat as he stared at the teenager. He had gravity-defying chocolate locks for hair and picture-like blue eyes. He looked like he was fifteen, but Riku knew that was a fallacy.

"You don't realize how nervous I am," the brunette murmured, holding his head in his hands. Riku arched an eyebrow curiously at the co-president, trying to figure him out. He seemed professional enough. Maybe the kid was just incredibly smart. "Being sued by your best friend isn't a settling feeling…"

"Uh-huh…" Riku answered, uncertain what to say.

That was when the brunette peered at Riku, making eye-contact. At once the brunette straightened up and extended his hand across the desk in way of greeting. "I'm sorry." He cleared his throat, "My name is Sora Kayaki, co-president of Erops. As you probably heard from my secretary's email … my friend, the other president, is suing me for everything I'm worth and threatening to take the company under his wing because he thinks I'm too immature and incapable of handling this kind of reasonability."

Riku blinked and then nodded to show he was listening.

"And we've been friends for ten years and I just don't get why he's doing this to me! This company is all I have! I.. don't have anything outside of my job and without this I won't have any money!" the other rambled, shaking his head in disbelief, "So that's why I need you." Sora peered at Riku briefly, looking like a nervous-wreck, "You can help me prevent Xemnas from taking away everything I've worked for."

"Sounds like a nasty case," Riku stated honestly, looking sympathetically at the brunette, "But I'll take it." _My first _actual_ corporate case and it's with a guy who's an emotional wreck. Oh great. Note to self; don't let him talk during the court meetings and such. He'll just ruin it and there goes my pay_.

"Thank you!" Sora grinned and arose from his seat due to excitement. "You're the only person who's said yes!"

"You've.. Interviewed others?" Riku asked slowly, not liking where this conversation was headed.

"Oh gods, yes!" Sora was like an open book, and Riku could see why the man's friend might want him off the presidential seat. Sora cleared his throat and blushed a light tinge of pink. "I mean, yeah. Everyone I've asked turned the offer down."

"Any particular reason?" Riku prodded, emerald eyes focusing on the brunette. _He's actually quite cute. Maybe he's actually a great president but his friend takes advantage of him. Huh…_

"They say I'm too young to understand business," Sora grumbled and took a seat in the chair, something furtive and unsaid flickering in his blue hues. "But I run this insurance business with my best friend and it hasn't gone bankrupt yet. And my dad taught me everything I know so I don't see why people doubt me." Sora slightly frowned and shook his head in dismay, "M-maybe I should resign…"

_This guy _is_ an emotional wreck … great_. "Nothing will be solved from that," Riku stated smoothly, fidgeting in his seat just a bit.

"I guess you're right. I just want people to know I'm not just a little kid with big dreams! I try to act professional! I've gone to college and everything, and I graduated high-school early just to pursue my dreams! So I don't get why people think I'm just another pretty, hopeless face…" Sora murmured leaning against his head in a bit of resentment towards himself.

"I don't-" Riku began but was cut short by his employer's rant.

"I can't even get a boyfriend! All the guys think I'm straight and all the girl's think I'm gay…" Sora buried his face into his hands once again. "And I don't mind the girls thinking that, but for the guys!" Sora grumbled in distaste, adorable blue eyes filling with grief.

"Sir-" Riku tried to interrupt again. _Why is he telling me this? Do I look like I care? Heh… Wait. He's gay? Oh… That's interesting. Maybe … Hmm…_

"I'm sorry I'm telling you all of this but no one ever listens to me and I'm paying you and-" Sora took a deep breath before standing up. He leaned down against the desk and exhaled sharply. "-maybe you can try and help me get me back on my feet before I lose everything?"

_Kid, I'm not a therapist… then again…_ _Oh what ever, he's obviously not caring about professionalism. So why should I? _"You're cute," Riku offered with a gentle grin creeping onto his lips, hoping that some sort of 'positive feedback' about the brunette would brighten the co-president's spirits. _Not like I care if he yells at me. He doesn't seem like the type who would turn me in for harmless flirting. Not like that other guy … oi. That man had a larger stomach than a freaking elephant._

Sora was at once taken back by the sudden compliment. His cheeks stained a light red as he diverted his gaze away from his attorney and down at his papers, "I'm… not cute," he muttered before adding on in a cute and blunt voice, "I'm _definitely_ not cute!"

"And feisty, that's a plus," Riku remarked, the grin growing. _He blushes easily, that's adorable. Maybe working with him won't be _that_ annoying. As long as he doesn't go all rambling again. The things I do for money, I swear._

"Stop that!" Sora blushed and glared down at his papers, pretending they were the cause of his discomfort. Honestly, the brunette had no idea that Riku was nonchalantly hitting on him. And, of course, the dense brunette didn't realize that it was illegal if he started anything with the man. When it came to common sense, Sora lacked. When it came to book smarts and company issues, he was gifted.

_Just a bit more. This is quite amusing._ "And demanding too? Oh boy, you must be /awesome/ in bed." Riku flickered a look of amusement at Sora. _Hey, if he can rant about his emotional problems, I can let out my sexual frustration. I bet he's a sucker in bed though. He looks like a virgin. Maybe he is… Hmph. Cute little virgin boss. _

"I… think that you should stop that," Sora stammered, face as red as tomato. "You're… supposed to be all professional like the others!" Sora recovered quickly.

"The others didn't take your case," Riku replied with a sparkling smirk. "Don't worry, kid. I'm here to help _you_. Nothing else, and nothing more."

"Thanks…" Sora stared down at the floor, rocking back and forth on his feet, "I seriously thought you were being serious." A nervous laugh.

"Oh. I was."

"Eh?!" Sora eyes widened with alarm, "Don't you have… any morals?! Isn't it like … illegal to hit on your boss?!" Another stammer followed by a squeak. Riku wasn't sure why the squeak was there.

_Finally catching on. Wow. He's _really _amusing. _"I'm just complimenting you." Riku chuckled and then leaned back a bit, "I was planning on being all professional until you tossed in random things and made the conversation completely irrelevant to the problem." He chuckled once more. "Unless me being myself bothers you?" He arched his eyebrow.

"…You're really weird," Sora noted uncomfortably. "You're not taking advantage of me because I'm young, right? Or are you not taking me serious?" Sora stated defensively, blue eyes filling with a lingering sadness and anxiety and worry.

_What's wrong with this kid? Can't he take a joke and harmless flirting? Nope… Oh well. Still cute_. "I don't make a good first impression, huh?"

"Unless you think 'creepy stalker attorney' is a good impression, then no…" Sora stated slowly, watching his lawyer with the utmost concern. Was this going to be the man who was going to defend his life's earnings? Sora suddenly felt his stomach tie into knots. Riku was _definitely _taking advantage of him and poking fun at him because he was young and small and not macho like all the others bosses! That was it!

"Hm… not a _handsome_ creepy stalker attorney? Disappointing." Riku faked a frown before chortling, "I'll take the case, I already stated that. I just wanted to test the waters, you know, see who I'm working with."

"Oh…" Sora blinked and sheepishly shrugged. "I've never had a reason to have an attorney before so I'm sorry if I come off as a novice. I've dealt with the ones here ... but none of them have ever been _mine_, you know? Never been sued before."

"It's not a rarity. You should see how some people handle me. They treat me like I'm at some sort of military camp. Other's treat me like their long lost best friend. Kind of creepy but I play along. It amuses me. And you, Mr. Kayaki, are the most colorful person I've ever had the pleasure of working with in my short time," Riku made known with that charismatic and flirtatious look.

"Haha," Sora laughed a bit before nodding, "Well … thank you."

"I should be going," Riku stated, arising from his seat. "I can't miss my soaps." Sora paled. "…joking." Riku laughed nervously. "Ahem, it was nice meeting you, Mr. Kayaki." He shook Sora's hand from across the desk and made his way towards the door with a smirk. _He is _such _a pushover… Hmm … I wonder… _Riku paused near the door and turned around. He promptly spun on his heels and made his way back to the standing brunette.

"F-forget something?" Sora asked.

Riku extended his hand through the hair, letting it rest on Sora's shoulder. Sora tensed and eyed his attorney. Riku's digits nonchalantly toyed with the ends of Sora's hair before the silver-haired male breathed out. "Like I said, It'll be my pleasure working for you," He lowered his voice to a whisper, "cutie." He added on. He tried to finish by kissing the brunette's cheek but Sora winced and maneuvered himself out of the other's grasps.

"Get off me!" Sora pouted, throwing his arms down, "I…I'll sue you for molestation if you touch me again!" Sora wagged his index finger at the other, his whole face completely drained of any color.

"…I'm your _lawyer_. How can I sue myself?" Riku asked and laughed, tossing Sora a smirk over his shoulder. "Call me if you need anything. Or when I can come and pick up the paperwork so I can get to work on the case."

And with that he made his way to the door again.

"Riku?"

"Hm?" Riku paused at the door, hand resting on the doorknob. _I wasn't really expecting to flirt with my boss, but oh well. The kid's freaking adorable. _

"How does tomorrow at Mango's sound?"

"Sounds like a date."

Riku purposely gave the other a flirty look before exiting the room with a wink. Sora nearly collapsed into his chair from shock. And the only thing running through both their heads was one sentence. Only one sentence after the rather chaotic and bizarre first meeting and business proposal.

_What the hell was that?…_


	2. first meeting

i just completely forgot that i didn't put an author's note on this. im sorry! okay so this story is going to progress somewhat slowly? or fast. im not sure. i got the whole plot figured out so i don't know what to say for the length. anyways, i hope you enjoy this (i would have just replaced the chapter, but my computer won't let me so i have to take the old one down and put the new one up!)

Oh and also. if anyone would like to roleplay riku x sora with me, i'd loveee to. i need... roleplay. ahem. contact me through my msn on my profile or my aim. which is; i ish katra. okay im done.  
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**Ardor**

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**F**irst **D**ate 

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Sora Kayaki had no idea that who he hired was interested in more than just his troubling case.

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Riku was up at precisely six a.m. This, of course, bothered his room-mate who immediately smacked the alarm clock with a clenched fist in a futile attempt to 'shut it up'. Riku chortled at the red-haired man's attempt. The silver-haired male paced around the cramped, fourth floor, apartment. Aquamarine hues were glued to the scattered clothing spread haphazardly around. After the teenager picked up a grey shirt that had been 'hiding' near the living room area, he promptly put it on. The attorney glanced down at his silver wrist-watch to inspect the time. _Six-thirty._ Riku chuckled, more so to himself, as he marched back towards the bedroom area. Once there, the male took a seat at the corner of his bed and began fussing with a pair of jeans and socks.

The room-mate, who by this point was fed up, snapped open cat-like, green eyes. In a hoarse voice, he asked, "Is there any particular reason you're up at the crack of dawn?"

Riku strained his head to the right to inspect the red-head. A smirk appeared on his refined lips as he shrugged, "You know, business… dates … showering," he explained with a growing sparkle in his eyes.

"You got the case?" grumbled the man from the other bed. Blankets were now covering the other's face, blocking his look of annoyance from view. "I'm surprised someone actually hired you, Riku."

_Apparently he doesn't have much faith in me_, Riku thought dismally before replying, "That hurt, Axel," a fake and pathetic attempt at a pout followed, "but if you must know, because you're just that _curious_," the other taunted and made Axel wonder how _anyone_ could be so amusing at this time in the morning. "I did get the job. And apparently my new 'client' is quite … inexperienced, so to speak."

"Inexperienced?" Axel asked in yet another grumble. The man shifted beneath the blankets, refusing to allow the morning light to touch his body. "If anyone's inexperienced, it's you, Riku. You're _barely_ an attorney and yet you're pursuing cases out of your league." The last few words were slurs.

"Ignoring that for a moment," a second poorly-executed pout, "my client's younger than_ me_. He's adorable, though. Cute face, unique hair, and gorgeous eyes," Riku stated as he promptly plopped back down onto his bed. The attorney locked his hands behind his head as he laid there, watching the white ceiling.

"Wait a second," Axel peeked from beneath the blankets as he spoke, "don't tell me you're going on a date with your _boss_?" Axel's voice was harsh and demanding and bled the truth.

"Eh, somewhat. He's going to tell me about the case and all that legal shit," Riku smirked over at his friend, "but yeah, it's sort of a date."

"You do realize you can get _arrested _for that, right?" Axel stated with disbelief, shoving the blankets back over his face. Right now the red-head didn't even _want_ to like at his flirtatious and _way_ too carefree friend. Riku was going to end up in jail. Then he'll probably get murdered for flirting with the guards.

"I'm not going to get arrested, geez," Riku laughed, shaking his head as that good-natured smirk remained on his face, "besides, the poor boy probably isn't even interested as me."

"Who_ doesn't_ like the tall, dark, and handsome type?" Axel wondered, still hiding his face.

_I'm very far from that, Axel. I may be a flirt, but I'm definitely not dark,_ Riku thought diligently. "Apparently this kid," Riku answered before smacking his lips together, "His name's Sora. Kind of sexy, don't you think?"

"You think _everything_ is cute or sexy," Axel argued in a groan.

_That may be true.. Oh well_, "I don't think _your_ sexy," Riku taunted. After two seconds had elapsed he had received a pillow chucked across the room. And it landed right on his face with force.

"I hope your pretty face is scarred from that," Axel muttered as he pulled the blankets tighter, "just let me sleep, would you? I was out late last night with a few friends at the bar. I think I deserve some peace and quiet and 'me-time'," Axel countered.

"It's your own fault you have a hang-over. At least you didn't bring home some fat guy this time," Riku replied, eyebrows arching teasingly, even though he _knew_ Axel couldn't see him. _Oh Axel, sometimes I wonder why the hell you put up with me. If I were you, I would have thrown me out the window by now. Then again, I wouldn't want to be accused of murder… so I see your point._

"I told you to never speak of that again," Axel seethed as another groaned proceeded.

"Just like that time when-" Riku began in a mocking voice before Axel grunted _incredibly_ loudly to shut the other up. Riku sneered and then allowed his arms to fall back down by his sides, "I get the point," he chuckled and then peered back down at his wrist-watch, "how early do you think is _too_ early for a lunch date?"

"Oh yeah, Riku, I'm sure your _client_ would _love_ to eat Panini's at six in the morning," Axel answered, not amused _whatsoever_ by his room-mates immaturity and sense of humor. At least Riku wasn't a dark and sadistic and evil person. At least he joked around and was carefree. Most of the time the pair got along. _Most_ of the time. Axel had been so lost in thought over Riku's attitude that he was caught off guard when an annoying beeping entered his mind. _The fuck?… _Axel stole a glance once more.

"Hey, S- … Mr. Kayaki," Riku hummed brightly into his cell-phone.

"Riku, are you a fucking _moron_?" Axel hissed as he through the blankets down, "You don't call someone at six a.m. asking to go out for lunch! He's going to think you're mentally challenged!" Axel smacked his forehead with his palm as he rolled onto his back. _Riku is clinically insane,_ were the words running through Axel's mind.

"Ha, yeah, I'm _real_ sorry about yesterday. Any way, I was just calling to wish you a _good morning_ and ask if noon is all right?"

"How did you get his number?" was the immediate thing that came from Axel's lips. Riku mouthed back the words, "paperwork, doofus." Axel groaned as he rubbed his forehead. "He's going to file sexual harassment on you."

Riku narrowed his eyes at his friend and stuck his tongue out immaturely before being recaptured by Sora's response. A smile crept onto his lips before he answered, "Mm… casual. No need to get all frilly and crap. Anyhow, I'll let you get back to your work. See you then." Riku hung up and tossed the phone onto the bed.

"That was short…" Axel noted, furrowing his eyebrows.

"All I was asking was for a time for the 'meeting'," Riku explained and yawned, "and he's not going to do that. Kid's probably elated that someone's hitting on him. And me, of all people," Riku stated nonchalantly as he tossed Axel a grin that beamed almost as brightly as that damn _sun_ was.

"Is he _that_ cute?" Axel asked, throwing Riku a glance for the first real time that bright Friday morning.

"Yessire," Riku childishly replied, "but not really my type, you know? He's way too shy. Although that is actually kind of turn-onish…" Riku trailed off, lost in a world that really had no meaning.

"If you're going to fuck him, I suggest you do it after that case of yours is settled."

"I'm not going to screw him," Riku stated firmly, rolling to his side to glare at his friend, "he's the type that rarely ever gets any action. 'Sides, I'm not one to go that far."

"Yeah, you're just the make out and grope and one date sort of guy," Axel confirmed, rolling his eyes. "Roxas and I, well, that's another story," A distant chuckle came from Axel's lips.

"Uh-huh… Interesting," Riku responded and then arose from the bed. "I'm going to look over some of that paper-work and make coffee. Want any?"

"Nah, I'm going back to _sleep_." And go back to sleep Axel did.

Riku rolled his eyes and trailed back into the living room area, headed towards the kitchen. He messed with his grey shirt, pulling it out from its current 'tucked in' status. The attorney went to work at making coffee and glimpsing over the file. This was going to be a hectic day, he just knew it. And with his habit of flirting without even realizing it, he was somewhat dreading lunch. _I just hope that I don't end up wearing lunch…_

**x x x**

"B-but Xemnas!…"

"Don't argue, Sora. You know as well as I do that this company will continue to suffer if you're kept in charge."

"I… It's not suffering!" Sora refuted, hands clenching as he narrowed his usually calm blue eyes at the silver-haired man. He looked similar to Riku, but a lot darker and taller and more sinewy. He was a bit intimidating and unnerving to even look at. Or think about. Sora recoiled when the man's hand slid onto his cheek mockingly. The silver-haired tycoon pinched Sora's cheek before uttering out a ridiculing statement.

"You're just a little boy and _nobody_ needs you. Go home and play with your toys and leave business to the adults." And with that he left in a huff, throwing Sora an indescribable look over his shoulder.

Sora frowned and watched as his partner walked away. The brunette stared down at his feet, suddenly feeling worthless and _pathetic_. Blue eyes did their best not to fill with tears. He had to be strong. He was in the field of _business_. You didn't cry over someone making fun of you, that was for babies. Sora bit his bottom, wrenching his gaze off where Xemnas exited. His gaze locked with a confused set of green eyes.

"O-oh…hi," Sora smiled faintly at his attorney. It was _obvious_ how forced the smile was and how distraught Sora was.

"Am I … interrupting something? Should I come back in five minutes?" Riku inquired, hand resting on the seat of a table. The afternoon breeze rushed past them, making his strands of silver fly in all directions. Riku frowned at that and pushed them neatly behind his ears so they wouldn't bother him. Still, his bangs annoyingly swayed back and forth, covering his eyes at some points. _Stupid, sexy hair_.

The table was situated outside the small corner-street café, Mango. Around the table area was an antique fence, added for that quaint look. Riku's hand hovered over the rustic chair as he eyed Sora curiously. All he had seen was a man storming off rather _rudely_ and Sora looking quite… saddened? Or maybe it was just frustration.

"No, no, no," Sora shook his head and quickly took his seat. He didn't want this kind stranger to worry about his petty little problems more than he was paid to do. "That was Xemnas…"

"Oh." Riku answered, understanding rushing into him. _So that's the prick that's suing the kid? Eh… half of me doesn't blame him and half of me thinks he should get a life and stop teasing the guy._ "Were you two having a meeting?" Riku arched his eyebrow, taking his seat across the table from Sora.

"No," Sora shook his head, "He… saw me here and decided to stop in and talk to me. No big deal, really." Sora waved his hands back and forth to dismiss the conversation. It was apparent the subject was bothering the young co-president, so Riku left it alone for the time being.

"I see," Riku ran a hand through his hair as he offered a warm smile to the brunette, "So… what do you want to talk about?"

"Um…" Sora glanced down at the table. He hadn't really prepared anything. And the things he _did_ want to talk about were wiped clean away from his mind by Xemnas' unexpected appearance. Sora's core was numb at the moment and he struggled to keep up the conversation. And he was failing miserably.

"Do you know for certain if he's suing?" Riku asked, feeling as if he was going to have to do all the questioning. Riku blinked a few times, however. Sora wasn't wearing those business clothes from yesterday. In fact, he looked quite different. The brunette wore baggy black pants with a red shirt accompanied with a black wind-breaker. _Okay, so he is cute._

"Yeah, he is," Sora answered, melancholy dripping from his voice, "he said that if I give up now and hand the company over to him, he'll give me a thousand to 'start over' on. You know, find a job, pay the rent…" Sora appeared nervous. _Way_ too nervous.

Riku frowned again, "You aren't planning on giving up, are you?"

"Maybe…" Sora shrugged dismally.

"Hey," Riku wasn't aware of it, but he had compulsively reached across the table and placed his hand over Sora's idle one. "If you give up he'll mock you for the rest of your life. And you'll hate yourself for it. Trust me, I would have _hated_ myself if I gave up on my law dreams."

Sora's eyes were now glued to the hand on his. He withdrew it before Riku's fingers could even stroke his own. The brunette acted like the contact was forbidden or taboo. Almost like Riku's hand was on fire and he was afraid of getting burned, "But if he can conjure up enough proof to show that I'm not an efficient president, he'll win and I'm left with nothing… he's already cut my pay off…"

"Wait, so you're working for free?" Riku's eyes widened, temporarily forgetting about his now lonely hand.

"Sorta…" Sora trailed off, "But it's partly my company so it's my job to-" Sora began with a shrug.

"The hell, kid. You're not supposed to play into his hands. You're supposed to fight for your rights and all that shit. If you just let him do this to you, you're giving up and losing your life's work," Riku explained with determination etched in his alluring voice. _Trust me, Sora, you don't want to give up on something you love. It hurts you in the end. _

"…I suppose you're right…" Riku was far too assertive. Or maybe Sora just wasn't used to someone being like that. He was used to aggressive and passive people. Passive being himself.

"Of course I am," Riku chuckled and smiled a bit softer at Sora. "Listen. You don't need someone like him trying to ruin your life. You're smart, talented, and handsome. Don't let him make you feel bad about yourself."

"I'm not any of those…" Sora mumbled.

"Stop being pessimistic," Riku countered, eyebrows knitting together, "You are _all_ those things, at least from what I've seen. You're smart enough to be co-president of _Erops_ at freaking nineteen. And for me to call you cute is _quite _the accomplishment."

"Um…heh…" Sora blushed a light shade before shaking his head, "But still…"

Riku leaned into his chin, locking eyes with Sora once again, "Is there anything I can do to make you start believing in yourself again?"

"…" Sora stared down at the table. _There's no way you can fix my self-esteem, Riku. You're just my attorney, not my therapist and not my friend,_ Sora thought weakly, "That's not your job. Besides, you barely know me. You don't know anything about me."

"Hm," Riku's lips contorted into a look of contemplation, "Then how about I double as your attorney and as your friend. You know, just so you have someone there? Unless you think I'm too much of a creep. Then I'll just go … cry a river or something." A grin crept onto Riku's facial features.

Sora laughed the slightest, a smile forming on his pale lips, "You can be my friend if you want. I don't really have any."

"I'd be honored," something flirtatious flickered in Riku's eyes after he said that, "just from now on call me by my first name, k? I hate when people address me by my last."

Sora was about to ask why but he figured that it'd be best not to, "As long as you call me by mine."

"That's not really… professional, you know," Riku argued, "I can see you calling me mine because I work for you, but you're my boss, so to speak. Shouldn't I address you as my superior or something? Like Sir, Mr, Master…" The last one was just thrown in there for comedic relief. Riku hoped it would spur another laugh from Sora's gorgeous lips. It didn't. In fact it made the other more uncomfortable.

"Sora." He stated firmly, which surprised Riku.

"Fine then, be stubborn," Riku tilted his head to the side, observing Sora. "Now tell me, _Sora_, how old are you exactly?"

"Er… nineteen," Sora replied, a bit embarrassed. "My dad, the old president, home-schooled me and directed my education towards the business field so when he died I could go ahead and take his place."

"You're dad's dead?… I'm sorry…" Riku stated, remorse evident in his voice. _Maybe that's one of the reasons the poor kid is an emotional wreck. I have a bad feeling he's hiding a lot more than that in. He's quite interesting… definitely worth figuring out. Even if it's just for my amusement. _

"It's fine," Sora shrugged.

"Then how did Xemnas come into the picture?" Riku wasn't getting this situation. He at once felt bad for bringing the man back up.

"…he was my friend for ten years. My dad admired him and said that when he passed away he wanted me and Xemnas to co-run the insurance company. Maybe he didn't think I could handle it myself," Sora laughed apprehensively and shook his head, "or maybe he just liked him."

"I see," Riku shook his head as well.

"What about you?" Sora's curious blue gaze came upwards to meet Riku's.

"Uh…" _Um…_ "My life isn't important. What's important is you and wining this case and making you feel better," He gave a hopeful look before distractedly leaning forward in his chair, lowering his voice to a whisper, "which, by the way, I can do if you _want_ me to…"

"Uhm!" Sora felt himself blush darkly, "I…"

"Anything you want, just name it…" Riku breathed huskily, inches from Sora's face. _God, this is so amusing! Must resist… saying a stupid and immature joke. Must keep … serious and seductive._ "Anything at all, _Sora_." _Oh, that was good. He blushes so easily… _

"I'm fine…" Sora looked downward, body heating from the other's breath on him.

"How about a kiss?"

"No!" Sora practically shouted, snapping backwards in his seat away from Riku's alluring attraction. He was like a magnet. Pulling unsuspecting little brunettes in. Sora shivered and then wearily looked back at Riku.

"Okay…" Riku rose an eyebrow slowly. "You obviously don't like that sort of thing."

"I do…" Sora replied timidly.

"Then why'd you scream no?" Riku further arched his eyebrows. _You're acting like I was about to rape you. Geez, chill out, Sora. All I wanted was a kiss. No commitment, no screwing. Just a simple and calming kiss. I _am_ doing this to make you feel better. Least you can do is work with me._

"I don't know."

"Okay then." Riku dropped the subject of Xemnas and personal-contact for the rest of lunch. Apparently Sora had ordered two sandwiches before Riku got there so they wouldn't have to wait that long. Riku gave Sora an appreciative look. He _wanted_ to give the boy a kiss of gratitude, but it was painstakingly clear that Sora didn't want Riku touching him at all. So there conversation consisted of the café and the news. The typical things you'd talk about on a date. Including the weather, that was even tossed in there. All was going well until they decided to leave the café.

"I can walk you home?" Riku suggested after having paid for the entire bill. He shoved his hands into his pockets, just to remind himself not to try and hold the brunette's hand. _Hands to yourself. Hands to yourself. No romancing your boss. No kissing. No physical-contact_.

"I'm fine," Sora stated with a shrug, "I'll be fine."

"Don't get lost," Riku teased and then cocked his head to the side, "I think it'd be best if you and I have a meeting with your partner tomorrow. You know, discuss the situation and things."

"Okay…" Sora nodded, even though something lingered in voice that caught Riku off-guard. What was wrong with him? "I'll call you first thing tomorrow, then?"

"Certainly." Riku smiled, swaying back and forth on his feet, "It was nice. You know, lunch." _Oh real smooth, Riku. You are the brightest creature ever…_

"Yeah, it was," Sora agreed as he glanced wearily over his shoulder, "I should be getting back now." And with that Sora left down the street, hugging his arms tightly to his body. Riku watched him walk off. His eyes lingered on the other's backside. He fastened his eyes shut, reminding himself of his perversion. _Wasn't really much of a date, if you think about it. More like a luncheon. Okay, so I'll just wait a few days and ask him on a non-business orientated date. Yeah, that'll surely work._ A smirk manifested on Riku's face as he turned in the opposite direction and headed back to his apartment.

**x x x**

Sora sighed as he entered his cozy apartment in a different district of the city. The brunette slipped of his jacket and let it drop to the floor. Sora made his way into his living room and sat down on the couch with a look of worry and anxiety written all over his face.

_How about a kiss?_

Sora shivered, the memory of earlier that day coming back. _I'm sorry…_ he thought weakly. Riku was just being a kind person to him and he completely overreacted. Maybe he should make it up to the attorney? It was obvious how keen Riku was on helping him through his time of need. And a kiss wasn't that big of a deal… It was just the words Riku had used and that husky tone and..

_He wouldn't want to date me anyhow_, Sora concluded in the end, hugging his knees up tightly to his chest. He laid on his couch, staring around the apartment. He reasoned with himself in the meantime. Riku was devilishly handsome, smart, rich, and humorous. He was the dream guy for _a lot_ of women. And Sora figured that someone as successful and gorgeous as him wouldn't waist their time on a weak little boy like him.

_One that's about to lose everything_, Sora reminded himself. He sighed and shook his head, _I hate you for doing this to me Xemnas…_

**x x x**

"Put your damn pants back on, now!"

"RIKU?!"

"Riku?…"

Riku sighed and he shook his head in disbelief. He was gone a total of three hours and Axel had already called his boyfriend. And now here was the spiky blonde, beneath Axel, writhing even, with no pants on. He thanked Axel momentarily that the red-head was obstructing his view. At least Axel had _his_ clothing on. Riku grumbled something under his breath that sounded oddly akin to 'whore' before leaving the bedroom.

"…whose that?" Roxas asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"My pompous room-mate," Axel groaned, sighing vehemently. "He has the worst timing ever."

"I can see that," Roxas echoed with a groan of his own. However, the blonde's groan soon morphed into a moan when Axel's lips descended back down onto his jaw, leading down to his neck, "W-won't he mind?" Roxas slurred, a needy pant falling from his lips seconds later as he arched into Axel's hand.

"He will but I don't care," Axel breathed back, licking at Roxas' neck as his hand continued to tease his boyfriend.

"You're horrible…"

"I know."

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er...review? 


	3. taste of malice

-sorry it took so long to update this. i was concentrating on innovation. ahem. any how, enjoy this chapter. the plot twists and all that stuff will slowly be foreshadowed and introduced. any how, thanks to all the reviews. i love you guys.

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**Ardor**

**T**aste of **M**alice 

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Sora Kayaki had no idea that who he hired was interested in more than just his troubling case.

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"So you're going to meet with the prosecutor of your little case?" asked Axel.

"Yeah, he just called and said at noon," answered Riku.

The pair was sitting in the midst of their apartment - the kitchen to be exact - having a morning cup of coffee. The red-head (who had been caught with his boyfriend, for the third time this week actually) was having Decaf and his silver-haired companion wasn't. The attorney always had the strongest coffee he could find. He figured that the more caffeine he packed into his veins, the better he'd be in the courtroom. Of course the thought was a fallacy, but Riku Karada didn't really care.

Axel's lips curled up into a smirk as he rose his mug to his lips before stating, "Are you really going to ask your client on a date?"

"I don't know," Riku replied coolly, taking a long sip from his savory drink. "He's quite the looker." Riku smirked after that and resumed his earlier task - reading through a few case papers.

"Has he caught onto your famous flirting?" Axel asked, fingering the newspaper on the table with a lack of interest. He wasn't one to read it, usually Riku did that. Apparently his silver-haired room-mate was into the news. Axel figured that it gave the attorney a 'rush' to know everything that was happening around town and the world.

"Dunno," Riku answered quietly, dazzling eyes scanning over the twelve-font, black text. "I think he has. Not sure if he's into the dating scene," Riku said, biting his lip at a certain block of text.

"Then why are you trying? Wait, why am I asking _you_ that, Mr. Will-Romance-Anything-On-Two-Feet," Axel sneered, grabbing a napkin to swipe away the coffee residue that was forming above his upper lip. Once done, the lanky male arose from his seat and sauntered across the kitchen towards the sink. He dumped the cup in there and leaned against the counter.

"Crawling is nice too," Riku pointed out, a slightly perverted smile appearing on his lips.

"Or on their knees," Axel added in, eyes glazing over with memories. "Especially on their knees," he corrected himself blissfully.

"….I'm sure."

"Just because me and Roxas have an _open_ relationship doesn't mean you can ridicule it," Axel jabbed his finger in Riku's direction with annoyance, not paying any attention to his grammatical slip.

Riku scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I wasn't aware that blowjobs counted towards an open relationship." He snickered after that and went back to hurriedly reading over the papers.

The look on Axel's face was priceless. A grunt then followed. "Just because Roxas and I can do that sort of thing doesn't mean you have the right to be _jealous_," Axel taunted, easily counter-attacking. "I mean, just because I'm _getting_ something doesn't mean-" Axel continued but was silenced when a piece of toast was hurdled at him.

"Oh shut up," Riku sighed in response. "I'm trying to get these papers read so that at the meeting today I'm not entirely clueless. I'm not in the mood to lose my first case."

"Who cares if you lose, as long as you get to make-out with a cute guy," Axel hummed, grabbing the piece of toast that had been thrown at him. He then took a bite and went to washing his coffee cup.

"I'm trying to be serious," Riku pouted, but failed miserably. Pouting and Riku Karada did not match. It was not a match made in heaven one bit.

"You can be serious at your thingy," Axel argued, grabbing the sponge. "Speaking of thingies," Riku didn't like where this was going, "Roxas is spending the night tonight. Okay? Okay."

"I'm not going to get any sleep… am I?" Riku groaned. "Why can't you go over his place? There's two bedrooms there. I'm not too keen to be in the same room when you two are getting physical…"

"Then just go out for a drink. We'll be done by eleven," Axel laughed, rolling his eyes. "He'll be passed out by midnight latest."

"Fine…" Riku sighed and closed his folder. "I think I might need a drink after this." He promptly pointed downwards at the closed manila folder.

"Here's an idea!" Axel chirped, rinsing off the cup now. "Invite that guy for a drink after your meeting. Maybe you'll score a lay?"

"…I'd rather not," Riku yawned in protest, pushing strands of silver out of his eyes. "He doesn't even _look_ nineteen. There's no way he's going to pass for twenty-one, Axel."

"So?" Axel smirked. "Then you get two drinks and give him one. Or two. Or hell, twenty."

"He's not even /that/ attractive," Riku tried to argue, raising his hand in protest.

"But you need to relieve some stress," Axel refuted, beginning to hum his responses again. Riku cringed at that.

"Fine. But I'll be back by twelve, no later. And I'll be home alone," Riku made known, arising to his feet to proceed in getting ready for his day of work. "I don't think this apartment could handle four bodies in it at once."

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**T**he corporate attorney had no idea what he was getting himself into …

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"He's going to be here any minute! You have to be as polite and serious and professional as possible because … because he doesn't take kindly to immaturity and oh god-!"

Riku paled. _This kid's an emotional wreck.._ "Trust me, I have this under control," Riku tried to ease his client's restlessness. It didn't work. Sora continued to pace back and forth in front of the table outside the café. The brunette's cheeks were flustered and he looked like anxiety was taking a toll on him. "Sit. Relax."

"I can't!" Sora replied, fingers flexing nervously. "If I lose this to him I lose everything! You don't understand-"

"Hello, Sora."

"W-what?!"

Sora literally fell backwards into his chair. The brunette's legs went haphazardly over the edges of the seat. As quickly as he could, he straightened up and fixed his shirt. Nervous blue eyes passed from Riku to Xemnas who was taking a seat between the pair. The color in Sora's face had completely vanished at this point.

"You wanted to meet with me?" Xemnas inquired civilly, passing Sora a curious look.

_How can he act so calm about suing his friend?…_ "Yeah…" Sora replied in a quiet voice, feeling quite awkward.

"And I assume this is your attorney?" Xemnas asked, glancing to the left to examine Riku. His dark and crafty eyes surveyed the suit-clad male briefly. When he saw nothing of interest, his eyes settled back on Sora. "Do you think an attorney is necessary?" His lips curled up into an amused smirk.

"You're suing… of course…" Sora replied meekly, his voice still quite quiet.

_Well, I feel like the odd one out here. Maybe I should start singing something in my head. Yeah … that'll pass the time. Let's see … Coming out of my cage and I've been doing-_

"Xemnas… do you really have to sue me?… We can figure something out! We can continue running the company smoothly together!" Sora pleaded hopefully. Although he spoke with enthusiasm, his voice remained on the verge of a whisper.

-_just fine. Gotta Gotta be down because I- _"Sora. That is precisely the reason why. You're not going to willingly hand over ownership to me. So suing is the only answer," Xemnas answered with no trace of remorse in his deep voice. ­-_want it all.._

"I can't hand over what my father gave-" Sora protested weakly.

_It started out with a kiss how could it end up like this … It was only a kiss it was only a-_

"What do you think about this, …. Mr…?" Xemnas trailed off, his eyes glancing over at Riku.

-_kiss…_ Riku finished the line in his head before snapping out of his thoughts. He cleared his throat, pushing all ramblings and oddities to the side. "Karada. Riku Karada," Riku informed the man, tapping his folders and paperwork competently.

"What's your opinion on Sora's decision?" Xemnas eyed the attorney, half expecting him to agree with his side.

_That's not really professional. Calling Sora by his first name … _"Mr. Kayaki's father gave his son and you equal ownership and I understand and support his side fully. Your claim is based on personal beliefs that he isn't doing an adequate job. There's been no counterclaim on his part except for a refusal to give up his tenure," Riku explained smoothly.

Sora gave him a quite surprised but thankful look. _He looks like he didn't expect me to know one thing about this stuff… Geez._

"No need for fancy legal terms," Xemnas chuckled.

_I'm his fucking attorney, of course I'm going to support his side, moron._ Riku thought bluntly in his head, eying the man. "It's my job to defend his case, regardless of my views. But on a non-professional take … I agree with him."

Xemnas looked at Sora. The look made the other cringe just the slightest. Just the slightest for Riku to pick up on. His eyes arched when he caught note of the reaction. Sora was really a jumpy person. "If he freely gives me his ownership I'm willing to supply him with a grant. Are you aware of that, Mr. Karada?"

_Yeah … barely enough money to live on for a month. _"Money cannot compare to a job, sir." _Besides, I wouldn't give my dad's company to someone like you anyhow._

"I'm sure Sora here could find another job," Xemnas' voice trailed off to a bit of a murmur, "perhaps at a bar."

Sora winced, obviously hearing the words.

"If Mr. Kayaki hadn't wanted the company to stay with his blood-line he wouldn't have given his son half of it for inheritance," Riku argued, prodding the papers eagerly. It had even been in the man's _will_ that they were to share it unless something happened. Xemnas must be using that 'something happened' to his advantage as a loophole. Great.

"Something did happen, Mr. Karada. Sora became incapable of handling his position and has become reckless and unprofessional. I believe that there's no need for explanation on that," Xemnas spoke fluently, as if having rehearsed the words beforehand.

"There's no proof-" Riku began.

"Check the company records and you'll see why I feel the way I do. Sorry for cutting this meeting so short, but I have places to be. People to see," he sent the pair a rather dark look, "and hopefully you'll see things my way sooner or later. Good-day, Mr. Karada, … Sora." And with that said, the man left in an accomplished waltz.

"…Sora?…" Riku asked in a quiet disbelieved voice.

"…Yeah?" Sora answered weakly, his eyes never leaving his friend's body as he left. Riku knew the thoughts running through Sora's head. How could your friend of ten years do that to you? How could they betray you like that? Your best friend.

"Dinner?" he suggested. _I feel so bad for the guy … If Axel did something like … I just imagine the hell he must be in right now._

"Sure…" Sora whispered, blue eyes filled with melancholy.

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**D**inner meant dinner - not drinks and dancing…

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"I really should be going home…I have work tomorrow and I have to get some paperwork done on some people's insurance records and I-"

Sora was tugged down the street, away from the restaurant and away from his apartment. The brunette wore a look of nerves and slight frustration. Riku's fingers were tightly gripping the other's sleeve as he weaved their bodies throughout the crowded streets of New York. It always looked so… amazing at night, really. Riku glanced to his right at Sora who was tagging along a few inches behind him, not pleased one bit.

"Screw work. The prick's suing you, so why should you bust your ass?" Riku asked cockily, arching an eyebrow.

"Er…" Sora was surprised to see the difference from his competent attorney. The man was no longer diligently fluent with his words, carefully constructing legal statements. No, now he was throwing out real words and curses.

"One drink isn't going to kill you," Riku reassured the other, letting go of his sleeve. Part of him was expecting Sora to take off. _He's so jumpy so I wouldn't be surprised._

"I don't drink…" Sora argued, glancing down sheepishly. "Besides, we're not twenty-one, we can't-" Sora began nervously as they continued walking.

"My friend owns the place. Gets me in for free all the time," Riku informed nonchalantly, the nice breeze playing with his silver strands. "Any way, you should do this more often. You know, get out with a friend and all."

"Isn't this … unprofessional?" Sora asked, worry drenched in his small voice.

"We're outside the office. Listen, I apologize for how I acted right off the bat. I'm usually like that. But I hope I redeemed myself today?" Riku wondered, arching an eyebrow over at the short teenager.

"Yeah," Sora answered simply. "You were really good, thanks."

"It's my job, literally," Riku chuckled as he took a right at the intersection.

"I don't dance or drink … I'm not going to fit in or enjoy myself," Sora began in protest again, wanting nothing more than to go home and sleep.

Riku groaned. "Of course you'll enjoy yourself. It's just a couple of guys hanging out, nothing big, Sora."

"It's not one of those gay bars is it?!" Sora suddenly asked, completely flustered. Anxiety and uncertainty appeared on his face as he looked nervously to his new friend for an answer.

"No?" Riku replied questioningly. "I might be gay but I'm not going to go to a gay bar and broadcast it," Riku mumbled brightly. "Besides, they're _so_ overrated and are stereotypical."

"I guess…" Sora looked relieved. "I just didn't really want to go there. I… I'm not really comfortable with that sort of stuff," Sora mumbled oppressively, beginning to mess with the hem of his shirt due to the distraction. Apparently they had changed into normal clothing before dinner. It went without saying that Riku looked _astounding_ in casual clothing.

"I get it," Riku chuckled and smiled faintly at the brunette. "You're the type of person who's not comfortable with their sexuality and how people see them. I get it."

"I don't want the entire city knowing their top insurance co-president is like that… it might damage sales," Sora whispered.

Riku blinked in surprise and blinked again. "You're willing to starve yourself of a good time because you want your company to prosper?" Sora gave a quick nod. "And Xemnas says you're not suitable for the job … what a dick." Riku laughed after that and was surprised that Sora wasn't laughing. He quieted himself and diverted his gaze back to the road.

"People judge and I just don't want to give it a bad name," Sora supplied.

"When Xemnas said to look in the company files, what did he exactly mean?" Riku asked, his mind trailing back to the earlier meeting. If Sora was this committed to his work, then why was Xemnas so hell-bent on getting him demoted? Was it because Xemnas was a selfish bastard along with most of the entire population?

"I don't know," Sora answered honestly. He didn't sound that honest though, in Riku's opinion. Thus, Riku dropped it. He didn't want to bring back up their 'day jobs' and ruin what may be the first night out the brunette had had in awhile.

"You said you don't dance," Riku began. "Want me to teach you?"

"N-no," Sora slurred, shaking his head quickly.

"Come on, it's not that hard," Riku replied as they neared the bar.

"I just don't dance. I never went to my high-school dances. I just don't like it," Sora informed the other. It was apparent that Sora was an open book. If you wanted to know something, most of the time, Sora told you.

"You'll have fun," Riku nagged, smirking over at his new friend as they paused at the entrance. "And no one will see in the mob of dancing people. No one will care."

"…" Sora didn't answer, just followed Riku inside.

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**H**e said he didn't want to dance and god damnit that meant he wasn't going to … what part didn't Riku understand?

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"Let go!" Sora pouted, trying to get Riku to let go of his sleeve. The brunette continued pouting as he was dragged out onto the dance floor. He had somehow managed to avoid drinking, but the dancing Riku wasn't going to give up on so easily. Sora shifted nervously when Riku let go near the middle of the packed floor. Colored lights flashed around, lighting up areas at random.

"Loosen up," Riku breathed suddenly in the brunette's ear.

Sora tensed and crossed his arms, refusing to do anything.

"Sora," Riku urged, leaning his chin on the teenager's shoulder. Sora flinched and closed his eyes. "Sora, just rock your hips side to side. Not so hard. You don't have to do anything else. You'll feel a lot better if you _do_." Riku continued to try and urge the other to have some.

"I didn't know attorneys were so interested in their client's personal lives," Sora muttered with that pout Riku was coming to learn.

"I didn't know co-president's didn't like to have fun," Riku teased, a smile etching into his face. He moved his face away from Sora. Sora sighed in relief but paled when he felt Riku's hands burning on his hips. The brunette tensed and whined for the other to let go and go away.

"Relax," Riku instructed. "Just follow my lead," Riku mumbled, hands attempting to get the other to sway back and forth.

"I said let go!" Sora grumbled. Riku sighed and let go. He paced in front of Sora and crossed his arms as a few people eyed them but continued to dance.

"Well, what's your problem?" Riku inquired, arching a curious eyebrow at the other. "I thought you were interested in guys," Riku teased, a smirk appearing on his lips. "I was just trying to help, you know."

It was amazing how different Riku was when he wasn't being a prestigious attorney.

"Fine," Sora finally gave in, nervously draping his arms around Riku's neck.

Riku just stood there, completely stunned. His cheeks turned a light shade of pink before he asked, "What are you doing?"

"…dancing?" Sora asked rather cutely, fingers nervously tapping the back of Riku's neck.

"Slow-dancing?…" Riku asked, cocking a brow.

"….Um…." Sora blushed and glanced wearily to the right. "I'm sorry…"

"Nah, don't be," Riku chuckled, arms resting snuggly around the brunette's waist. He felt Sora tense up from the touch. "You okay?" Riku felt the need to ask, noticing the uncomfortable look on Sora's face. "Sora?…"

"Can I go home?…" Sora requested in a small whisper, eyes drooping tiredly.

"Yeah," Riku murmured, not quite getting Sora. "I'll walk you home."

"I'm fine," Sora answered quickly and let go of his hold around Riku's neck. The other was about to flee towards the entrance to head home. That was until he felt a hand brush upon his own, preventing his from doing such. Sora winced and wearily looked to Riku, confusion on his slim features.

"Call me tomorrow," Riku breathed into Sora's ear, lips purposely brushing gently against the other's ear. Sora tensed further, cheeks radiating warmth. "We'll make sure you keep your job. Don't worry," Riku cooed reassuringly, fingers curling around Sora's in a friendly sign of comfort.

Sora didn't take it in a comforting sense. "Okay," Sora quickly answered and then broke off entirely and weaved his way towards the entrance.

Riku sighed and allowed his palm to make contact with his head. "And they said law school is hard…"

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_leave a review please?_


	4. brief glimpse

So yeah, this is my main focus now because innovation is over. Oh how the plot thickens. I'm not quite sure how long this will be. But I do know where the plot is going, which iss always helpful. so yeah, enjoy this chapter and the ones to come and YEAH.

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**Ardor**

**B**rief **G**limpse 

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Sora Kayaki had no idea that who he hired was interested in more than just his troubling case.

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"So tell me, how was your date?"

Riku looked up from the novel he was currently reading to peer over at his red-head friend. On his face was an expression that screamed disappointment. Instead of expressing those obvious feelings, the silver-haired male shrugged and went back to reading. Axel frowned and motioned to the blonde inside the threshold. A scoff was heard followed by the sound of scuffling feet. Roxas entered the room, blonde spikes messier than usual. Stoic blue eyes stared at the silver-haired attorney briefly before reverting his gaze to his boyfriend.

"It was okay," Riku answered blandly. _More like bizarre. The kid has some serious boundary issues._ A finger rested on the page, about to turn it. A pause and then a scoff. "How about your night?"

Axel felt Riku's intense, somewhat burning gaze upon him within seconds. The red-head shrugged his shoulders before gesturing for Roxas to sit at the table with them. Roxas apprehensively complied, making sure to stagger into the chair closest to Axel - thus farthest from Riku.

"Oh we had fun, didn't we, Roxas?" Axel inquired, his voice dragging out his blonde boyfriend's name. Lips twirled up into a devious smirk.

"Fun, fun," Roxas agreed in a mumble, not daring to look Axel's room-mate in the eye. Riku and Roxas had never been … on good terms, if you will. Roxas blamed Axel's perverted and "active" nature for Riku's dislike towards him. Roxas didn't make a fuss of it, he figured if the other male wanted to strike up a friendship, he would.

"He's supposed to call," Riku remarked as his eyes lifted off the novel once more. _If he will … I'm not sure. Especially after last night._

"Isn't there a three day wait for calls?" Axel wondered aloud, draping a lanky arm around Roxas' shoulders.

"Like anyone does that," Riku snorted in amusement, rolling his eyes. "I always call people the next day. Seems polite, eh?" For the first time that day, a smile leaked onto the male's lips as he set the book down completely, binding facing the ceiling.

"You just do that because you can't go a week without making out with some poor defenseless sap," Axel commented in a hum. The male furrowed his eyebrows suggestively as his fingers began to mess with Roxas' spikes. A groan of protest was heard from the blonde, but it went unnoticed.

"So?" Riku shook his head, bangs playfully falling in front of his sharp green eyes. "Dating is the number one stress-reliever."

"I thought laughter was," Roxas refuted.

"…For me, dating is," Riku felt the need to explain, eying the blonde with childish defiance. The attorney chortled under his breath before adding in, "If you can laugh whilst making out, then you have it made."

"Who laughs when they're kissing?" Axel asked slowly.

"A lot of people," Riku answered as he leaned back in the kitchen chair. Arms locked across his chest as he eyed the couple with amusement. "But I suppose with you two all that's heard in your sessions is moans. Am I right?"

Roxas' face turned a dark red as he gaped. The blonde looked like he was about to argue: But not words came out. He just sat there in silence, face growing in color by the second. Axel snorted in laughter as he pointedly said, "That's _true_."

"Well then, I'm glad that someone in this household has a happy, fulfilling relationship," Riku remarked, surprisingly with no hint of resentment in his voice. "Though, I could deal without you two keeping me up all the time." Insert glare afterwards. Dark, dark glare.

"Ah, someone's just jealous that I get some ass," Axel laughed proudly.

"That's not necessary!-" Roxas tried to argue, sending daggers at his boyfriend at the other's 'over-confident' flaunting.

"Phone," Axel cut Roxas off when the sound of a phone ringing cut the blonde's tantrum off. Riku instantly snapped up in his seat. Green hues stared at the vibrating device. Within seconds, the silver-haired attorney was darting across the kitchen towards it with excellent dexterity. Axel laughed when Riku nearly tripped over his own feet once he reached the phone. Coolly, the male answered it and propped it up against his ear.

"Hello?" Riku tried to dismiss Roxas and Axel's smirk.

"Someone's eager to talk to _someone_," Axel taunted in a low whisper, just loud enough for Roxas and Riku to hear.

"Hi, Riku?…"

"Hey, Sora," Riku said brightly, promptly leaving the kitchen to head for the bedroom for some privacy. He could have _sworn_ he heard Axel declare, "I bet they're going to have phone sex," as he left.

Once in the shared bedroom, Riku snapped the door shut and leaned against it. "You told me to call?…" Sora trailed off, anxiety obvious in his voice.

"Mhm. I wanted to inform you that today is a very special day," a smirk appeared on Riku's face as he continued. "If it's all right with you, that is, I was thinking we could stop by the office and look over some of the company files, then we could go for lunch." A moment of silence overcame the conversation. "…Sora?"

"I'm here," Sora answered quickly. "If you want, that sounds fine."

"Okay," Riku said with a flirtatious smile appearing on his face. "I'll be there in an hour."

"Okay," Sora replied, a bit of happiness filtering into his voice. "See you there."

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**O**ne for the case --- minus one for the cause.

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"Riku Karada."

Riku tensed when he heard his name spoken in such a deep tone. Eyes snapped open wider as he cautiously peered over his shoulder. Leaning against the counter of the receptionist desk was none other than his client's 'enemy'. Riku further tensed as he eyed the man with a lack of interest. _God do I hate this guy. No wonder Sora is a wreck. If I had to work with this man for as long as Sora as, I'd be driven insane. _Riku folded his arms to his chest, making sure not to drop the folder in his hands. "Hello."

"You're here to see Sora, I presume?" Xemnas asked, thick eyebrows arching. The grayish haired man cocked his head to the side, observing Riku momentarily.

_No shit. Why else would I be here? For my health?_ "That's correct," Riku replied calmly. He chewed at lip from the inside. Riku blamed it on nerves and awkwardness.

"May I speak to you for a moment?" Xemnas inquired, his lips curling into a smirk.

"Aren't we now?" Riku replied.

"Funny," Xemnas commented, still eying Riku. He then proceeded to take a seat at a vacant chair in the small room. What really unnerved Riku was that they were the only two in the room. The receptionist had gone off somewhere to get something to drink moments after Riku asked for directions to Sora's office (this place was huge and he often forgot the layout).

Riku nervously took a seat as well, but instead just hid his nerves. He was _certain_ that he'd have to deal with weirdos such as this guy for all his latter cases. "Sora Kayaki is not someone you would want to associate yourself with."

"Why?" Riku asked automatically.

"He's unstable and has a few problems with people. Don't repeat this to him, he doesn't like me talking about it. Ever since he was twelve he's had a phobia of people coming near him. Apparently when he was eleven someone tried to kidnap him when he was at fireworks with his parents," Xemnas explained whilst leaning his chin into his hands.

"So he's afraid of people touching him?…" Riku spoke slowly and uncertainly.

"That's correct. It's natural for these types of phobias to occur. Usually people outgrow them in their teenage years … but Sora is a different case."

"I see. Though he could just not like strangers touching him. Hell, I wouldn't like anyone I don't know touching me," Riku mumbled, glancing down at the ground. _That'd explain why he was so persistent about me not dancing with him. Well damn, I feel like shit now. _"Is that why he's single?"

"One would assume," Xemnas chuckled and then paused before glancing about, making sure that no one was within earshot. He turned back to Riku with a serious look on his face. "I understand that you're his attorney, Mr. Karada, but your just getting yourself caught up in a lost cause. Sora's not mentally stable enough to handle a job like this. Human contact is vital, you know."

"I understand that," Riku spoke softly and then glanced down at the floor. Still, he didn't see why the other had to _sue_ him. Sure, it was the last resort but still. "I understand what you're saying, sir, but I have faith in my client."

"Come off it," Xemnas stated darkly with a chilling laugh. Riku tensed again. "If you're sticking with him because he's an adorable piece of eye candy, I see where your priorities lie."

Riku glared and vehemently declared, "I don't see where any of this concerns you. It's obvious you don't care about his well-being and that you're taking his flaws _way_ out of proportion." Xemnas didn't seem like the type to treat Sora was respect. It almost looked like Sora was afraid to speak up against the other. And all Xemnas did was scold Sora if he spoke.

"Think of your career, not your lack of sex," And with that said in a low voice, Xemnas left the room.

"Well he's going to be a _joy_ to work with," Riku sighed in anger as he looked away.

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**T**he things in that folder are for his eyes, not yours, Mr. Karada.

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Riku entered Sora's office cautiously. Xemnas' run-in had cost him ten minutes, so therefore he was late. The attorney cringed at the conversation as he lingered in the threshold. _He's just an idiot trying to knock me off my game so I can't find proof that Sora's side is strong. He just doesn't want Sora to win. That's all. But damn, he's such a prick. I feel bad for the kid having to deal with him his whole life. Quite bi-polar, if you think about it…_

"Hi, Riku," Sora said softly as he walked in, brushing past Riku. Riku blinked and then watched Sora with amusement. The male's eyes lingered on Sora's moving backside, not being able to remove his gaze. _Damn he has a nice ass for such a cute guy. _"Riku?" Sora asked nervously once he had gotten to his desk. The brunette glanced at his attorney, silently wondering why Riku hadn't entered the room.

"Huh?" Riku said and then looked to Sora. "Oh right," Riku laughed the words and passed over to Sora. Once there, he glanced at the large case Sora was holding in his hands. It looked like a briefcase, with those golden locks on the top, but it was different. It was incredibly skinny, like an art portfolio. But it was like a box … how odd.

"This is where I usually keep all the important things," Sora explained in a soft voice. He then proceeded to motion to the huge filing case. "That, is where I keep this. So it's double-protected."

"So I take it there's a lot of valuable stuff in here," Riku commented as he rose a hand to pat the thin, black, rectangular 'box'. Before his hand made contact Sora quickly pulled it to the side.

"Don't touch it," Sora whispered under his breath, not really certain if Riku heard.

Riku scrunched his nose in distaste. Without commenting he remained standing there. Sora opened it slowly, setting it on his desk. It clicked open and Riku eagerly peeked inside along with Sora.

"Account numbers," Sora began in a mumble, "and records of transactions and contracts…" The brunette removed them and kept searching.

"Anything in particular you're looking for?" Riku asked, feeling like he was suddenly a hindrance. Sora appeared to be in an odd mood, so he kept his hands firmly behind his back: And he kept his flirtatious comments to himself.

"Xemnas said that there's something in here to prove that I'm not worthy," Sora whispered, head hung low. Brown locks of hair fell in his face as he stared dejectedly as the papers he sorted through. His hand, eventually, paused on one. A look of distraught and gloom covered his face. A wince followed and Riku gave a concerned look. Sora looked down-right horrible at this moment. "I assume this is it."

"Sora, you okay?" Riku questioned in a calm and steady voice. Aquamarine hues never once took themselves off the melancholic expression of his client.

"Fine," Sora confirmed as his fingers curled around a packet of papers. A shaking followed suit as Sora lifted them up to eye-level. Before Riku knew what was going on, Sora had thrown the paper back into the case. The brunette turned around sharply, refusing to look at Riku or the collection of papers. A pained look covered the boy's face as uneven breathing was soon heard.

"Sora, you're definitely not okay…" Riku observed, stating the obvious. The silver-haired attorney reached out to reassuringly place his hand on Sora's shoulder. He felt Sora's muscles tense from the simple contact. Sora appeared like he wanted to slap the hand away: But the boy was far too drained of energy, suddenly, to do such.

"It's … nothing," Sora lied.

"It's _something_," Riku argued with annoyance, fingers lightly curling around Sora's shoulder. "What happened?…" It was a broad statement; he hoped he would receive an answer. Any answer would suffice.

"You wouldn't care," Sora mumbled, shaking his head. "It's my problem, not yours. I… I'm fine. Let's just… try and…" Sora began strongly but at the end he was stammering and shivering as icy cold tears stung his eyes.

"Sit down," Riku instructed uncertainly.

Sora did as he was told at once. The brunette quickly took a seat in his chair and pulled his knees close to his body, up on the chair. Sora then proceeded to hide his face against his legs. Messy locks of brown fell haphazardly.

"Tell me what's wrong. I want to help. You look like you want to cry, and that means something's _definitely _wrong," Riku stated dogmatically.

"You don't even know me," Sora murmured, refusing to look at Riku. He held the tears in, refusing to look like more of an emotional wreck than he had already come off as. "Leave me alone. My problems don't concern this case. Thus you have no right to-" Sora tried to sound professional, but his strained voice destroyed his cause.

"I thought we already established that we're friends," Riku argued, kneeling in front of the chair, just in case Sora chanced a look around.

"It's not professional," Sora grumbled.

"Would you rather have a boring, stiff, annoying attorney like most of them are, or would you prefer one that actually cares about you, and not just the outcome and the money they want? It's your choice," Riku stated with a quirky look. Sora didn't answer. Riku took this as an initiative to continue. "Now, are you going to tell me what just happened?"

"That… packet," Sora breathlessly said, nuzzling his nose against his leg, shielding his eyes from the attorney.

"Packet," Riku echoed as he shifted. He glanced upwards and onto the desk. The attorney's arm shot up and groped around for the mentioned collection of papers. After a few tries, he found it. Riku brought it to eye-level and examined in carefully. "I… don't get it." The document read as follows.

'_Name: Rinoa Sanders_

_Age: Twenty-four  
Martial Status: un-married  
Case: Denied'_

"What case?" Riku asked as he stared at the small blurb of text at the top. The rest of the page went on about the girl, whoever she was. The case was not mentioned, nor was it elaborated on why it was denied. What ever _it_ was.

"A few years ago she applied her for insurance on her home. When the storm hit, if you remember, her house was destroyed and she was left with nothing. She had signed up for the insurance that restores your things in case of natural disasters," Sora tried to be as bland and simple as possible. "Well, somehow her 'insurance details' got changed around… I think it was someone here that did it, I don't know why they would… but when she applied to get money to fund her new house and stuff, she was denied. They claimed she never asked for such an insurance."

"Why would this?…" Riku trailed off, hoping Sora would get the idea of what he was asking for. A fragile smile appeared on Riku's lips once Sora's eyes cautiously peeked up over his knees, at once meeting green ones.

"She's my sister… was… I mean. The whole company here denied that she ever made a contract with us. We were in debt at the time, just a few thousand dollars, we quickly got out of it, and I suppose they didn't want to be fair and give out hundreds of thousands more. So they lied and destroyed anything that supported her cause. Any how, I was the only one that believed her because I remember her and Saix drawing up the contract. ….So I was temporarily suspended because I tried getting her the money … and Xemnas thought I was stealing from the company and yeah." Sora appeared out of breath as he tried his best not to stare at Riku for too long.

"Then what happened to her?" Riku inquired with an arched eyebrow. By now kneeling was getting uncomfortable, but he figured he'd manage.

"She died. She got pneumonia when the storm hit, seeing her house was destroyed and all and she lacked a good place to stay, and it's a long story… and yeah," Sora whispered with remorse.

"I'm sorry," Riku said with a frown.

"Don't say that," Sora argued, shaking his head. "Everyone says that when I tell them the story. Frankly, I'm tired of being saying that."

"Okay," Riku stated, uncertain what else he _could_ say. "Is this why Xemnas wants you off the chair? Because you're an honest person?" Anger coursed in Riku's veins, but he had to remind himself to remain neutral. For all he knew Sora could be lying… but why would he? Was he that good of an actor?

"Mhm," Sora spoke with a sigh. "Unless there's another reason I don't know of…"

"So we need to find proof that she really did have a contract and you were just doing the right thing and not stealing," Riku said, more so to himself. Sora nodded and then laughed nervously.

"Good luck with that, though," Sora whispered silently.

"What did you do when he claimed you stole?…" Riku asked apprehensively.

"Can we talk about that another time?" Sora asked, looking mentally exhausted.

"Of course," Riku nodded a bit uncertainly but shrugged it off. "Here, let's go have some lunch and stuff, okay?"

"Sounds good," Sora whispered shakily and shyly.

"My treat," Riku added on as he arose to his feet. He helped Sora lock up the things and straighten up the office. He offered his hand to Sora, but the other ignored it and promptly exited the office, waiting to lock it afterwards. Riku sighed. This was such a confusing case…

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**H**e thought that when you said lunch, you meant … work-orientated.

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"What is this place?"

Riku lead Sora inside a rather odd building. Sora was a bit worried when he felt a wave of cold shroud him. The brunette instinctively wrapped his arms close to his body. He was at once thankful that Riku had encouraged him to go home, change into comfortable clothing, and bring a sweatshirt. Sora was surprised that Riku still looked as model-ish and handsome as ever in a black sweatshirt. Sora, though, kept his opinions to himself as he followed Riku faithfully, afraid that if he strayed just for a moment he'd become lost.

The building they had entered was dome-shaped, in a way. Riku never did answer Sora on where they were. Sora at first had been slightly terrified of where his attorney was dragging him for lunch, but he soon shrugged it off. Blue eyes looked towards Riku and what was beyond him. Almost instantaneously Sora froze ; not due to the temperature, surprisingly.

"Sora, come on," Riku egged the other on, motioning with his right hand for Sora to follow.

Sora shook his head no vehemently. "I'm not doing it, Riku!"

Riku's lips folded down into a frown. "It's just _ice-skating,_" Riku argued.

Disdainfully, Sora hurried to catch up with his 'new friend'. They both stopped once they had reached the large area. There were several small tables spread out around the area. On the far right wall was a built-in counter that had a 'deli' like area within. On a newly glossed sign was a menu. Towards the far left was the entrance to the actual rink. Sora paled and then nervously asked, "We're just eating here because they have good food, right to discuss business?…"

"…I wasn't aware I had mentioned business. I thought this was a date?" Riku asked his own question.

"D-date?" Sora squeaked, eyes widening before frantically waving his hands back and forth. "No, not a date! Just two guys hanging out at an… ice-skating rink…. Riku, could you get anymore _obvious_?" Sora pouted in disdain.

"Huh?" Riku blinked and then smirked when he realized what his brunette friend was getting at. "Oh, you mean that the ice-skating rink is the most renowned place for innocent groping and that nonsense?" Could groping ever be considered innocent?

"Yeah, that," Sora said in a murmur before following Riku to get their lunches.

"Don't worry, Sora. We'll be fine," Riku assured the other. _He's so amusing, that Sora. He honestly thinks I thought this was a date. All I wanted to do was relieve some stress … but it seems like he doesn't really take jokes well._

"You're not gonna like leave me to die, right?" Sora asked nervously as they stood in line.

"I don't think you _can_ die here," Riku argued, looking at the ice and then to Sora. He chuckled and tossed his hair playfully over his shoulder, a bit dramatically.

"…When you do that you look kinda stupid," Sora whispered under his breath, a bit timidly. He was a bit worried what Riku would do if he heard it, but sometimes he couldn't keep his comments to himself.

"Ow, Sora, that hurt," Riku complained. _Yup. My ego just took a hit._

And that was how lunch started. The meal went well with normal conversation. But it all went downhill when Riku dragged Sora to the corner of the place to get skates. Sora moaned and thrashed about, trying to get Riku to let go of him and allow him to leave. Riku grumbled something incoherent under his breath and just continued with his plan, not deterred whatsoever.

That was until they were on the actual ice.

"Riku!" Sora hollered in agony as he stumbled along once Riku let go. He was thankful that Riku had finally let go of him, but now he was terrified. He didn't know how to skate! He didn't know a thing about it! He lacked grace and skill. In fear, Sora watched Riku gallantly glide about on the ice. Only when Riku lapped him did he notice the pale look on Sora's face as the brunette clung to the wall, looking like he wanted to _die._

"Sora, you _do_ know how to skate, right?" Riku asked wearily, crossing his arms against his chest as he came to a skidded halt.

"No!" Sora practically whimpered, hands digging at the plastic walls with terror.

"…Figures," Riku sighed at the clichéness. "Here, take my hand and I'll-"

"No! I…I'll be fine," Sora argued, wincing at the idea of doing such. His feet weakly moved. At first he slid a foot. He grinned at his triumphant but then paled when he lot his foot due to the stupid blades he was standing upon. Within moments Sora had fallen on his backside onto the ice, emitting a strained yell of pain.

"Sora," Riku sighed as he extended a hand to help Sora up. "You hurt?"

"No," Sora answered honestly, moving his leg so he wasn't sitting on it. Blades hurt.

"Let me help you up," Riku said, jerking his hand closer to Sora.

"I'm fine, Riku," Sora said in a quiet voice.

This was getting old. Riku groaned something under his breath as he maneuvered his way into a sitting position. Green momentarily locked with blue. Sora looked away and stared down at the shaven ice beneath his feet. He had caused that… "Riku, I'm fine…" Sora mumbled, shaking his head, wishing nothing more than to be at his boring office.

"Look," Riku shifted so that he was sitting directly in front of the brunette, "you've got to learn to deal with this sort of stuff. Physical contact is mandatory in a job like yours. Like a hand-shake. Do you wanna look rude?"

"Er… not really," Sora whispered, now staring at Riku's skates. Sora was caught off guard when Riku rose his hand into the air. He allowed it to hover, spread out as if he was about to wave. His fingers were fanned out slightly, allowing Sora to briefly see parts of Riku's face behind the hand where it was blocking his sight.

"What?" Sora asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Put your hand against mine," Riku spoke softly.

"Why?…" Sora wondered, biting his bottom lip.

"Gwagh. Don't ask anymore questions, my head's hurting. Just do it, okay? Trust me?" Riku explained with a weak smile. The silver-haired was surprised when Sora slowly rose his hand into the air. The brunette looked like he was deciding whether or not to go through with it. Sora observed his own hand briefly before tediously bringing it closer to Riku's. Inches separated their palms. Sora bit down harder as he willed himself to allow their palms to touch.

Riku heard Sora lightly gasp. The attorney watched in wonder as Sora's cheeks turned a scorching red. The hand against his was shaking, trembling even. Riku frowned a bit. Without thinking, Riku extended his free hand and placed it on Sora's idle one that was resting against the ice. The attorney's thumb lightly brushed against the cold skin, lighting it on fire. A small gasp elicited from Sora's lips again as he stared uncertainly at Riku, too timorous to look the other directly in the eye.

"…Let me help you up," Riku offered with a radiant smile as he helped Sora to his feet.

_He's like a blushing pre-teen … so adorable, really, _Riku thought brightly.

* * *

lalal review please? 


	5. one chance

_i'm loving writing this. thanks to every single review so far. i love you guys soo much. ah yes, the plot thickens. and foreshadowing and yeah. yeah. so yeah. i have no idea what to say._

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Ardor  
**O**ne Chance 

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Sora Kayaki had no idea that who he hired was interested in more than just his troubling case.

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"You went _ice-skating_ with him?" Axel demanded as he popped a breakfast sandwich into the silver microwave. The red-haired male sauntered from the device over to the couch where Riku was sprawled out. The attorney's limbs were dangling off the edges as silver hair stuck out at random (looking like a complete mess). Emerald hues were fastened shut and lips pressed together in a fine line.

"So what if I did?" Riku murmured from his uncomfortable position on the sofa.

Axel chuckled and situated himself so that he was sitting on the edge of the coffee table. Cat-like eyes focused on the attorney, gauging what to do or say next. The answer came rather quickly. "Riku. Roxas and I've been dating for five months now and we've _never_ done something as _gay_ as that."

Riku was outright offended. "Excuse me for wanting to bring him out on a creative 'luncheon'," Riku burbled with distaste.

"So it wasn't a date then? I've never heard of someone bringing their 'friend' to an ice-skating rink when they were crushing. People usually can't keep their hands to themselves in that kind of situation," Axel sang with amusement, kicking his feet back and forth over the edge.

Twitching, Riku sat straight up and glared down his friend. "I'm having a bad week, if it isn't obvious."

"I noticed," Axel commented, swishing his hand back and forth to dismiss Riku's anger. "It's like your pmsing or something. _Very_ unlike you. This case got you this frustrated?"

"Of course," Riku answered as he laid back down, tucking his arms under his chin for support and comfort. "I've never had a real, corporate case like this before. And the guy who's suing is a real ass."

"Aren't they always." Axel sighed and glanced back at Riku. "Are you ever going to ask the kid on a real date?"

"He freaked out when we touched hands," argued Riku. His voice was somewhat muffled from the position he lay in. "Do you really think someone like me could handle myself on a date with him?" Riku looked over to Axel briefly, a mischievous and playful glimmer sparkling in his unusually dull, green eyes.

"That's quite true," Axel agreed as he rose his hand to his chin. The man thoughtfully stroked it. "What about if you did something 'sensual' without even being on a date?" Axel suggested.

"And you're proposing? I'd do my typical pick-up lines, seeing I love them so much," a playful look, "but he's as dense as water. Not sure if that's a… good comparison, but either way, I need something … innovative."

"Am I, the humble coffee shop clerk, giving the high-powered _attorney_ an idea?!" Axel gasped dramatically, his red bangs falling onto his forehead as he jerked.

Riku arched an eyebrow apprehensively. "Depends on what you're suggesting."

"How about the good old 'massage', neh?" A smirk appeared on Axel's lips once again. Green eyes met aquamarine and Riku at once felt uncomfortable. Axel had been known for his kooky and down-right bizarre methods of 'wooing' people into submission, but this one didn't sound half-bad. A bit dangerous, but not half bad.

"You know, that _could_ work," Riku said slowly, thinking it out carefully in his head. Riku sat up, for a second time, and pushed his hair aside. The attorney then went to work devising a mental plan using Axel's clever idea.

"Though, knowing you, you'd turn a simple massage into a full-blown make-out session," Axel teased, reaching over to humorously nudge Riku on the shoulder. They both looked at each other before Axel snorted, "That was the gayest thing I've ever done."

"I thought Roxas held that honor?" Riku questioned, the largest smirk ever on his face.

"You perverted little-" Axel began but was silenced when the phone rang.

Without a moment's notice, Riku gracefully sprinted off the couch, out of Axel's range, and towards the ringing device. With ease, Riku answered it and propped the black phone up to his ear before speaking a breathy, "Hello, Riku speaking?"

"Hey, Riku."

Sora sounded a bit more chipper than usual. That was a good thing. A smile subconsciously slipped onto Riku's lips as he shuffled his hands into his pockets (mostly due to unsettled nerves). Axel watched from the couch, slyly slinking over to eavesdrop on his best friend's conversation.

"Sora, good to hear from you," Riku replied, leaning his back against the counter. His thin body bended dexterously. A body that could put a ballet dancer to shame.

"Would you mind if my friend Kairi came to lunch with us today?" Sora asked.

"Sure, why not, the more the merrier," Riku answered with ease. A friend of Sora's. That meant someone that could provide him with information for his case /and/ for his current object of affection. "Mango, right?"

"Mhm," Sora chimed before hesitating. Next came a rather nervous, "Hey…um, Riku?"

Riku blinked. "Yeah?"

"If…she says anything… out of place or something that doesn't make sense, j-just ignore her, okay?" Sora stammered, slipping on his words.

"Ah. Embarrassing stories, right?" Riku sneered with amusement.

"Probably," Sora whined from his end.

"Don't worry, Sora. I won't judge you by your _humiliating_ stories," Riku chuckled and smiled wider.

"…Er, thanks, I think?" Sora laughed nervously. "So… in an hour at Mango sound good to you?"

"Of course," Riku agreed. "I'll see you there. I'm paying."

"You don't have to!" Sora tried to argue, his words dripping honesty and humility.

"Oh, but I want to."

"Fine…"

"Bye, Sora," Riku breathed gently.

"B-bye, Riku." And with that there was a click ending the conversation.

Riku laughed to himself and set the phone back down on its cradle. The male's eyes traveled over to Axel who had followed him into the kitchen. Eyes narrowed a bit before Riku asked, "What's your problem?.." a bit uncertainly.

"He's introducing you to his /friends/, Riku. That means you're doing something right," Axel teased as he wagged a finger at his silver-haired room-mate. Axel stared at his own finger for a few seconds before recoiling it, muttering something regarding not doing so many 'stupid' things.

"Probably someone with something valuable for my case. If you remember, _Axel_, he /is/ my client," Riku reminded the jousting red-head.

"Oh right, your case. Right, right." Axel rolled his eyes and then poked something on the counter. "You do know that there /is/ some sort of law thing about bosses getting involved with their employees. Or in your case, attorneys getting involved with their clients."

"What if the attorney and client were married, hm? That shouldn't matter, should it? Besides, that law goes for like the office people," Riku said, dismissing it at once. "I know what I'm doing, Axel. Besides, dating someone who won't let me touch them isn't really on my schedule." _I'd probably end up murdering myself by the time we got to kiss. I /like/ physical contact._

"I'm just warning you! That's what friends are for!" Axel chirped in, placing his hands on his hips.

"Third time in one day," Riku mumbled under his breath, staring directly at the other's gesture.

Axel flinched. "Oh, shut the fuck up. I can do whatever the fuck I please," Axel said as he threw a small temper-tantrum. With those last few spiteful words, Axel promptly marched to his bedroom. He lingered by their shared bedroom before tossing out a, "I /dare/ you to ask him out on a date."

Riku, being the oh-so competitive person he was (truly, he was. His competitive streak had gotten him in trouble in the past…), smirked and then answered, more so to himself, "You're on."

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**B** est friends to new friends to awkward conversations to anger.

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"Nice to meet you, Riku, I'm Kairi."

The red-head extended her hand across the table. Riku, with ease, took and shook it. His eyes, though, remained trained on Sora who sat close to her. Emerald hues contained slight jealously (quickly forgetting the fact that Sora had openly admitted to him that he was _gay_). The woman, now dubbed Kairi, folded her napkin and placed it on her lap, as if expecting some sort of messy, gourmet meal. Riku laughed immaturely to himself. _If she expects this place to be five-star, she's got another thing coming._

"Kairi's my best friend," Sora explained (though a silent "and only friend," could be heard under his breath), shifting a bit when he realized that Riku was staring at him. The brunette gulped and hesitantly turned to Kairi. "How's your mom?"

"Oh, she's good," Kairi answered with a bright smile. "She's getting a lot better!"

"That's great!" Sora replied with a faint smile. "I was worried. She had a bad case of the flu, right?"

"Mhm," Kairi answered as he picked up the sandwich and took a quick bite. Her red bangs fell care freely on her forehead, accenting her beautiful features. She was a pretty girl, someone who many girls would be jealous of. But for Riku, she was just someone who held beauty. Riku felt _no_ attraction, whatsoever, to the newly acquainted female. Especially that he was being left out of the conversation.

"And Hayner, how's he?" Sora asked.

"Hehe, he's doing just great," Kairi answered as she took another bite. "Apparently he wants us to settle-down and get married," Kairi explained with a glimmer of happiness in her eyes. "I've always wanted to be married."

"That's great!" Sora said again, feeling better because of someone else's happiness.

"What about yourself?" Kairi asked, cocking her head curiously to the side. "Anyone new in your life?"

_Yeah, that's right, just ignore me like I'm not here. That's fine. Be best friends and ramble on and on. Wait… did she just ask the 'dating' question_? Riku's eyes slipped off Sora to Kairi momentarily as he awaited Sora's sought-after reply.

"Not really… at least not in that way," Sora quickly said, averting his gaze to the table. "You know…" he trailed off, tapping his fingers against the counter.

"Oh…" Kairi said, trailing off as well. "I wasn't aware that…"

"Yeah…" Sora said solemnly and shook his head, "I mean! I'm happy and all because of that but just …"

"The situation?" Kairi finished for him with a hint of inquiry in her voice.

_What /are/ they talking about? I hate when people do that. Just talk about something only they understand right in front of someone else. Makes me feel like a worthless being. A handsome worthless being, nonetheless. _Riku mused with amusement as he watched the pair, a frown on his features.

"Yeah…" Sora sighed.

"Why are you?" Kairi wondered. "You do realize that it's a bit… wrong?"

"I know," Sora mumbled. "But! But, I know what I'm doing and-"

"Sora, I just don't get you," Kairi cut Sora off, looking down to her sandwich. "How can you allow someone to…" she trailed off again, right at the vital part of the sentence that would have given Riku information. Riku's frown grew ten-fold along with his silent frustration.

"It's hard to explain."

"Usually those kind of things are," Kairi replied with a nod. "I'm sorry for bringing it up, Sora."

"It's fine. You're just concerned. I understand why, but I'm an adult and I can fend for myself," Sora explained.

"Can you answer me one thing, though? When?" Kairi wondered, fingering her sandwich with a lack of an appetite all of a sudden.

"Yesterday…"

"Ah…"

_What the fuck… Do they realize I'm here? Or did they forget? Or have I gone invisible? I think someone ought to shoot me or something to draw their attention back to me. I mean, how can someone ignore someone as gorgeous as me? Okay, I'm a bit conceited, but still!_ Riku groaned mentally and awaited someone to say /something/ to him and not amongst themselves.

"Are you happy?" Kairi asked, looking seriously at Sora. Her hazel eyes trained themselves on the brunette's form, taking in his casually dressed appearance. Concern was drenched in her eyes as she looked to him.

"…As happy as I've ever been," was Sora's honest answer as he whispered it.

"I see," Kairi said in a soft voice and returned to eating.

Sora's eyes wandered off Kairi and then back, nervously, to Riku. His stomach nearly sank when he saw that Riku's eyes were still on him. Those green eyes. Sora appeared flustered. Riku chuckled to himself. _Look at him. Embarrassed that he forgot about me! Or…er, is he just embarrassed that I'm staring at him like I'm mentally undressing him?… Which I'm so not… At least not at this moment. _"Can we head to my apartment after this, Riku? I wanna see if I have any files there that can help the case."

"Sure…" Riku replied with a scowl threatening to show. The silver-haired began to aimlessly twirl his spoon around in his coffee, amused at how it swirled about in the mug. He had been reduced to staring at _beverages_. Lord, what was he going to do with himself?!

"Thank you," Sora whispered sincerely.

"You're welcome."

And that was _exactly_ how lunch went.

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**R**iku Karada wasn't sure if he had ever been more _pissed._

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Sora walked a few feet away from Riku as they traveled down the windy streets towards the brunette's home. Riku found it odd that Sora was finally inviting him to his humble abode. Every time Riku had offered to walk Sora home the other had vehemently declined. At first Riku had thought it was because the brunette had some sort of secret, but then he figured it was just because Sora wasn't good with the whole dating and having someone over ordeal. Riku didn't blame him. Being invited in usually lead to steamy making out and possible sex - if they were lucky.

"I'm sorry about lunch," Sora murmured as they walked, his eyes focusing on the sidewalk. Sincerity and guilt was drenched in Sora's voice. Even the slowest of people when it came to emotions could tell Sora felt _horrid_.

"…It's okay, I guess." Riku stared up at the sky, blinking at it. "Looks like it's going to snow."

"Really?" Sora glanced upwards as well. Blue eyes stared in marvel at the white, fluffy sky. Blue was no longer visible. "But isn't it too warm?" Sora looked to Riku for an answer.

"Eh. It's snowed before in October. Usually when it does it just melts when it hits the ground. But it's still nice to watch," Riku commented as he glanced away from the sky to look at Sora. _God… he's so adorable and cute. His personality matches perfectly with his appearance and overall vibe. …Vibe? What the fuck. I sound like a hippie._

"I like snow," Sora agreed with a smile as they walked. "Me and my sister used to play in it."

"I see," Riku answered, feeling a bit bad for the brunette. It appeared that Sora had very few people who cared, or were close. And his sister had been one of them, and now she was dead. The world was a /fucking/ cruel place. It took from the kind and left the rotten wealthy and giddy. That usually was the case. Irony was sadistic and unfortunate.

"Thanks for yes-" Sora began but was silenced. A loud, "Sora!" had reached his ears and caused him to nearly stop dead in his tracks. That boisterous yell contained a bit of rage. Sora tensed and stopped walking all together. Eyes looked a bit blank and emotionless, Riku noted.

"Sora?…" Riku asked, stopping as well.

Sora's eyes fell to the ground. Within seconds the tall, and intimidating form of Sora's ex-best friend appeared. Dark eyes focused on Sora. The man looked to Riku, a bit sympathetically (as if he felt bad that Riku had to associate with the nervous Sora). "Sora, I called you at your office earlier. Where were you?"

"Lunch," Sora replied in a quiet voice.

"With?" Xemnas asked, crossing his arms. He peered at Riku and let out a ominous, "oh". Eyes glared at Sora again. "Are you skipping out on your job again?"

"N-no," Sora stammered, unable to turn around and meet the other man's gaze. "I was just out with Riku and Kairi," Sora explained under his breath.

"No one knew where you were," Xemnas seethed, a false sense of concern. Riku stared at the darker silver-haired man for a while. For someone who cared so much about the company he _really_ didn't care that much about his business partner. What a selfish bastard.

"I'm sorry," Sora continued in a whisper. "It won't happen again."

"I'm surprised that you even _have_ friends to go out to lunch with and skip out on work with," Xemnas muttered, eying Riku. "Did Sora pay you to tag along? Did he use the 'you're my attorney so you have to' excuse?"

Riku's face turned a dark red - not from embarrassment, but from anger. "I came on my own accord!"

"Is he paying you to say that, too?" Xemnas sighed and glanced to the spiky-haired brunette. "Later," he mumbled and turned his back to head back to the office. He didn't even offer a good-bye. Just a "later" sufficed for such a short and demoting conversation. Riku scowled at the man leaving. His gaze softened when he looked to Sora who appeared petrified and broken.

"Hey, Sora…" Riku cautiously extended his hand to rest it on Sora's shoulder. The attorney frowned when Sora flinched. _I'm getting nowhere with him._

"Let's just hurry on," Sora whispered and continued to lead Riku to his apartment, but this time in silence.

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**C**asework to not so innocent touches.

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"I like your place," Riku commented as they took off their jackets. Riku carefully placed his on the conveniently placed coat-rack at the door. After all, those were what they _for_. Riku chuckled to himself as he watched Sora nod and depart into another part of the large apartment. Riku followed faithfully, taking in the sight of the well-decorated apartment as he walked.

Sora stopped in his bedroom and promptly took a seat on the bed. Eyes were glued to the floor when Riku entered. Another frown appeared on Riku's face. "Sora, you okay?"

"I'm fine…" Sora whispered, refusing to make eye-contact. "The… file's around here somewhere, I think-"

"Forget the fucking case," Riku grumbled and stalked over. "You look more stressed than I've ever seen someone."

"Yeah." Sora had to agree. Blue eyes timidly peered upwards to meet green, worried ones. Sora bit his bottom lip and offered Riku a reassuring smile. "Stress is horrible, isn't it?"

"God, I know," Riku concurred as he crossed his arms. "It drives people _mad_."

"I've heard," Sora said softly.

"Hmm…" Axel's idea couldn't have fit any _better_ into the situation. "How about I give you a back-massage?" Mischief flickered in Riku's eyes, but he did his best to conceal it. He didn't want Sora to feel intimidated or worried or anything stupid like that.

"Um, is that such a good idea?" Sora wondered, keeping a careful watch on his silver-haired attorney. Was just in his mind or did Riku seem suddenly /a lot/ closer? To distract himself from such thoughts, Sora pierced his bottom lip with his top teeth. The slight pain kept his thoughts on his question and not the hovering Riku.

"Don't worry. It'll relieve some stress. Plus, it feels /damn/ good," Riku said pointedly as he took a seat behind Sora on the small bed. Sora shifted as his body tensed. "Relax, _Sora_," Riku breathed soothingly into Sora's ear. Sora hadn't realized it before, but Riku's agile fingers were swiping his brown locks behind his ear. The attorney's breath on Sora's ear tickled. A shiver slipped down the shy brunette's spine.

"If you need to hold my hand, you can," Riku reassured Sora.

Sora shook his head before pointing out, "What's a massage if one of your hands is preoccupied?" His voice was drenched with nerves.

"Quite true," Riku concurred. With no more words, Riku placed both his hands on Sora's back. The attorney exerted light pressure onto Sora's back, his fingers beginning their tantalizing ministrations. Digits massaged the back in small shapes that Riku wasn't sure of himself.

"Riku," Sora breathed lightly. His body involuntarily arched against the touches as shudders of pleasure slipped down his spine. His mind shouted at him to pull away, that someone was too close. Sora quickly shook the thought away and closed his eyes. He was safe with his eyes closed - Riku wouldn't hurt him anyhow.

"I'm sorry you had such a rough day," Riku whispered relaxingly.

Sora silenced the urge to gasp when Riku's index found a particularly sensitive spot on his back. The brunette's body, however, would not be silenced as it leaned into the touch. Goosebumps formed on Sora's arms and he was thankful that he had sleeves on. "It's okay," Sora said breathlessly, lulled into a submissive state by the silver-haired Adonis.

"Do you guys usually bicker like that?" Riku wondered, paying careful attention to the spot that apparently felt the best to the shorter. The attorney allowed his palm to roll against the spot in an added pressure. Riku was then simply amazed by the reaction he received: Sora whimpering his name almost silently. For some reason hearing that sent chills down Riku's spine as he steered his mind away from the thoughts about to enter it.

"We do," Sora answered after a moment.

Riku had honestly forgotten he had asked a question. He was just staring in awe at the back of Sora's head. For someone he had just met he was awfully intriguing. Sora had been home-schooled, that Riku knew, so he therefore assumed the brunette never really had that many friends outside of his business partner. Riku pitied Sora, really he did. He felt _bad_. Perhaps why Sora was so reluctant to admit that he and Riku were friends was because he had no idea how to _be_ a friend. Xemnas had done a horrible job. Friends _usually_ didn't end up suing each other.

"What he's doing," Riku began in a quiet voice, "it's not what friends are supposed to do."

"I know," Sora retorted stubbornly. A quiet mew of need escaped the brunette's lips when Riku's fingers had ceased. A blush danced upon Sora's cheeks before shyly stating, "Don't stop. That feels… nice…"

"I told you it would," Riku answered, amused by Sora's timidity. His fingers continued their earlier job. This time, though, Riku leaned a bit closer, taking in the fresh scent of Sora's hair. It was alluring.

"No one has ever done this before," Sora felt the need to state in the quiet air. "I… didn't realize it helped."

"It does," Riku agreed and then added on, "My friend used to do this when I was studying. Cramming years of studying into a short amount of time brings on a lot of stress. But I'm certain you're aware of that feeling," Riku chuckled, knowing that he and Sora were both in the same boat. They were both _extremely_ young and both had high-paying jobs while most people would be attending college still.

"Perhaps we're just prodigies," Sora said with a light smile, his body quaking from the waves of delicate pleasure.

"That would be something," Riku laughed. "Tell me, did you always want this sort of job?"

"Yeah," Sora answered honestly. "My father prepared me for this ever since I was able to talk and read. He said that I would surely bring great things to the company, what ever that means. He would say things that made no sense. They still don't. He spoke in riddles."

"Sounds like it," Riku spoke in a voice barely detectable. "I'm sure that he'd be proud. And I'm sure he would have wanted you to defend your sister's cause like that."

"You think so?" Sora asked, eyes still fastened shut.

"Yeah," Riku said honestly. Silence once again covered them as Riku continued with his job.

"Hey, Riku?" Sora questioned in a very low voice. Barely a whisper. So quiet.

"Hm?" Riku was completely immersed. Something about the other male was appealing. Someone so innocent and pure and untainted as a saint. That's what Sora was. Sora was everything Riku wasn't - they had only known each other for a few days and that bit was obvious. Riku was flirtatious, quick on his feet, and humorous. Sora was quiet and reserved.

"Why don't you have a boyfriend?" Sora whispered, breath hitching at a certain touch.

"…" Riku was silent for a moment. "…Why don't you?" he redirected the conversation at once.

"Heh, uh well…I… I'm not that good at dating and I like my space, you know? I respect my body and uh…" Sora trailed off, forgetting that it had been his question. "And everyone I've tried to date thought that I'd…" he whispered the next bit shyly, "have sex with them right away." Something wasn't right about Sora's explanation.

Riku frowned, trying to figure it out. "That's a bit vain of them."

"I know," Sora laughed nervously, half in disbelief and half in heartache.

"I'm sorry," Riku offered.

"Don't be," Sora replied. "I have to learn about dating on my own… my father hindered it, but I'll be fine. I'm just behind." Sora wasn't saying something, and Riku was pretty well certain.

Sora's perspective was quite interesting, nonetheless. "I'm sure that you'll find someone lovely to date."

"You think?" Sora wondered with curiosity.

"Of course," Riku sighed. Something lightly kicked at his heart. The idea of his client dating someone else drove something in Riku mad. Perhaps it was because Sora seemed to be so fragile? Or was it because he just couldn't conquer the other? What ever it was, Riku wished it'd go the fuck away. In those words, of course.

Riku had been so lost in his slight jealously that the next words from Sora's lips stunned him. "Neh… Riku…" Sora practically whimpered, shivering against Riku's touch. Riku's cheeks stained red as the sounds drilled in his head. He hadn't realized until that moment that his fingers were now up and under Sora's shirt, working at the warm skin there. Riku's breath quickened as he stared ahead at Sora.

"I'm…" Riku's hand flattened against the other's back.

"Thanks for… helping," Sora whispered sweetly, all his nerves melting away from the pleasurable touch. Riku blinked in surprise. Sora wasn't scampering off the bed? Perhaps he thought that this was safe? Of course it was safe! _What am I thinking… doing this… _Riku thought dryly.

"I'm glad you trust me," Riku stated lightly, fingers nervously wandering along Sora's skin. He felt the way Sora's skin scorched from the sensations and the way his body arched into it. It honestly drove Riku _mad_. Sexual frustration was not a good thing.

"I'm glad I can trust you," Sora said with a bright smile, craning his head over his shoulder. Eyes opened as he searched for Riku's eyes behind him. Their eyes met and Riku's hand went flat. Utterly and completely flat and he stopped moving altogether. Riku just had had the _strongest_ urge in existence to reach out and _kiss_ Sora.

Sora lazily leaned back as Riku's hands fell from under his shirt. The brunette rested his head down in Riku's lap, in the area the male's crisscrossed legs made. Blue eyes looked up into stunned green. "I like the idea of us being friends."

"Yeah…" Riku trailed off, hands resting idly at his sides, pressing against the mattress. He was suddenly quite thankful that his jeans were, in essence, on the baggy side. The last thing he needed was his brunette friend seeing his painfully embarrassing slight arousal.

"Do you like cats?"

"Huh?" Riku asked at the ambiguous question. Riku became uncertain - why was Sora asking him such a random question?

"I said do you like cats?" Sora asked with a light giggle, eyes still staring up at the other's man. "I've always had them. But… when I moved in by myself I couldn't keep them. There's a rule against them here." Sora frowned.

"Oh," Riku said and nodded. "I never had one."

"Really?" Sora answered with disbelief. The brunette's eyes momentarily widened in surprise.

"Really," Riku confirmed and quickly skipped off onto another subject, "Do you like ice cream?" _Oh real smooth, Riku. Ask him if he likes the most cliché item in the world! Ask him if he likes the thing that most perverted guys dream of hot, adorable, submissive people such as Sora licking. Real fucking smooth._

"I do … but I can rarely have it. I'm lactose intolerant," Sora pointed out with a frown.

"That sucks."

"Yeah. But I can have it once in awhile if it's a small amount!" Sora pointed out with a radiant smile. A pause… "What time is it?"

"Uh…" Riku glanced over to the clock that was resting on Sora's bureau. "Three, why?"

"Ah… just wondering," Sora whispered and shut his eyes, completely comfortable in their current placement. Eyes, after a few moments, reopened and gazed up into perfect green ones. Something flipped upside down in Sora's stomach as he looked at Riku nervously.

Riku slipped his hand onto Sora's cheek, staring down at the beautiful brunette in his grasps. Silver hair fell downward towards him as well, obscuring his gaze. But he could still see Sora, and that, in itself, was enough. Riku's throat went dry as he felt his body moving forward. Before he even had time to react, he was leaning over and within inches of Sora's lips. So close that he could feel the other's shaky intakes of breath against his own lips.

"Sora," Riku purred, his issue becoming a bit worse. Their breaths intermingled, making Sora blush a hot red. Blue eyes widened as he looked up into Riku's eyes that were becoming a bit blurry.

"Neh…" Sora whimpered, trembling from the close contact. "I…"

"Can I kiss you?" Riku requested, emerald eyes shimmering with lust and need. He needed any contact. _Some_ sort of contact. He needed to feel a rush of emotions. Something to please his aching body. Anything.. Anything would suffice right about now.

"I…" Sora's eyes went wide, his small heart beating frantically. "I..I'm sorry!" Sora squeaked and quickly rolled to the side, out of Riku's lap.

Riku paled. "W-what?…" Riku was now utterly confused.

"I…er… just…er..you see… er, have a… er… a boyfriend," Sora whispered under his breath, sitting up and instantly looking down, as if ashamed.

"I thought you said you didn't?" Riku wasn't sure why he was suddenly angry. He just was.

"You never asked me directly," Sora said as he looked to the side, shame written on his face.

"…I'm sorry, then. If I knew you had a boyfriend I wouldn't have asked," Riku mumbled and felt like he had just committed the worst of sins. He gulped and shifted himself off the bed, even _more_ thankful than ever that these pants were like they were. Even more thankful than a few moments prior during the massage.

"I'll call tomorrow?" Sora suggested, daring to meet Riku's gaze.

Riku sighed, his gaze momentarily softening. "Of course."

And that was when Riku realized something. He had it _bad_ for Sora Kayaki, to the point of wanting to claim Sora as his own. Riku Karada wanted his client in the worst way possible. Problem? Sora was already taken.

* * *

_review? even if it's just one word, review so i know you're reading!_


	6. first night

It's funny. We all are getting to know more about Sora, and yet Riku hasn't done any of that 'enlightening past' stuff. Hmm … Oh, don't mind me. Heh.

- in other news, the Lifehouse concert I went to was simply amazing. Although the goo goo dolls were the headliners (who I also love), I mostly went to see Lifehouse. However, they didn't play Everything, which saddened me. Apparently a group of girls were screaming for them to play it (they were near my section - seventeen ). Any way, just felt like informing the world about that. Just because of the caller number nine reference.

Now I'll shut up and get on with the chapter.

**Ardor**

**F**irst **N**ight

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Sora Kayaki had no idea that who he hired was interested in more than just his troubling case.

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Riku wasn't surprised that Axel and Roxas were gone when he returned home that night. The pair usually went off to the bars, a club, or to a romantic, candle-lit dinner. The attorney had never _seen_ Axel this happy before. Roxas made something deep inside the spontaneous red-head combust. Riku, of course, was happy for his best friend, but at the same time envious. Why couldn't _he_ have a romance like that? A love right out of a romance novel? Perhaps, in life, you could only have one or the other. Your dream job or true love. And frankly, the true love was outshining the job right about now.

Riku groaned miserably. The green-eyed attorney passed through the quiet and vacant apartment. Eyes glimpsed around the well-decorated area. It seemed so lifeless and stoic (if a building could be called such) without Axel or Roxas looming about. It lacked life. It lacked that homey feel.

Riku slid his thin, black jacket off and draped it haphazardly onto the coat hanger. A sigh elicited from the late teen's lips. "Am I that appalling?" Riku asked to no one in particular. "For someone to make up a _boyfriend_ to stop me from coming onto them," Riku trailed off, barely making any sense. Not like he cared nor minded.

"This is why I don't date or do serious relationships," Riku reasoned with himself as he stalked towards the fridge. "There's always got to be someone like him to ruin your fun," mumbled the male.

Riku opened the fridge and gave a quick scan. Milk. Juice. Wine. Wine, he still had that in there? Riku arched an eyebrow as a sly smirk appeared on his lips. It wasn't enough to get drunk, far from it, but it was enough to relax his tense body. With a satisfied look on his face, Riku grabbed the bottle and nudged the door close with his right hip.

"Blackberry essence." Riku's eyes scanned over the bottle, staring at the label with curiosity. "Must be Axel's," the man concluded as he made his way towards the shared bedroom.

Silently, Riku tossed his exhausted body onto the bed. Shaky hands brought the cold bottle to his lips, parting them as he did such. The icy, fruity liquid passed the gap of his lips, entering his mouth. The sweetness and yet bitterness caught him off guard at first. Teeth tingled from the unexpected taste. Scrunching his nose up, Riku took another sip and set the bottle down on the nightstand near his alarm clock.

Wordlessly, Riku tucked his arms behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. "He said he didn't date because he didn't like sex, huh…." Riku trailed off and bit his bottom lip. "I bet he's a virgin. I mean, that's what they all say. I don't like sex. Well, no shit, you've never had it." Riku laughed after that and began strumming his fingers on his stomach due to boredom.

"But what if he wasn't making it up?…" Riku wondered as he further furrowed his brows. "What if he really does have a boyfriend?" Riku frowned at this. Sora was now officially a lost cause. Though, he couldn't push the nagging feeling of wanting to go on a date with the brunette from his mind.

"Maybe I'm overreacting," Riku concluded as he rolled his shoulders in a defeated shrug. "There's other fish in the sea. That's all." And that was that. Sora was then forgotten … for now, at least. It was three minutes before Sora entered his mind again.

"I was so close to kissing him," Riku whispered to himself, raising a hand to rub his temples. "Damn, why'd I even _bother_ asking? If I had just _kissed_ him I would have at least… gotten a kiss!" Riku typically talked to himself about his own dating problems. Axel usually was too busy with Roxas. And Riku lacked an onslaught of friends, so he took in comfort in confiding in himself. It worked for nineteen years, after all.

"He's so innocent," Riku added on with a faint smile appearing on his lips. "He's got the cutest body on a boy I've ever seen. Damn, maybe if I had just asked him on a date the first day I met him I wouldn't be in this situation…" Riku paused. "Situation. What _situation_? Am I still musing over the fact that he's taken?" Riku groaned loudly and clenched his fist in aggravation.

"Fuck, I'm hopeless," Riku decided in the end in a breathy tone.

Eyes slipped shut as Riku shifted on the bed, temporarily forgetting the warming wine. A sigh slipped from the attorney's lips as he sat there in silence. He hadn't noticed it before, but it had started to rain. His mind then took the liberty of conjuring up a rather vivid display of images. The first was of Axel and Roxas in the rain, linked arm in arm, laughing and exchanging playful kisses and curses. The next came as a surprise to Riku (though he _should_ have been expecting it). The attorney's lips were tightly pressed against the beautiful brunette's. Riku's arms were tightly woven around the lithe boy, holding him close to his own chest as the rain fell down onto them. The silver-haired male whispered sweet nothings against the shorter's lips, tugging affectionately on Sora's lip. Riku quickly snapped out of the mental images.

The clap of thunder made him shoot straight up and stare wide-eyed around the room. "Fucking mind," Riku grumbled and rubbed his head as he turned to the right. He stared vaguely out the window, watching the rain heavily pour. The next sound caught the male even more off guard. Was that … knocking?

"Ugh, coming, _Axel_," Riku called as he shoved his body off the bed. As he made his way to the front door, he grumbled darkly to the man, "I can't believe you forgot your key _again_. Is Roxas with you? Or did you finally leave him at his own house? I really could use a night with sleep."

Riku moaned in distaste and opened the door. He frowned. Though, the frown was quickly replaced with a look of complete and utter shock. Emerald eyes took in the sight of a drenched brunette. Blue eyes stared nervously up into jade ones. Lips parted weakly, looking as if they wanted to say something. The brunette's clothing was soaked and dripping on the hallway carpet.

"Sora?" Riku asked, tilting his head to the side. "…How'd you know where I live?" _Oh, that's smooth, Riku. The first thing you do is ask him how he ended up here! Oh, you're such a smooth-talker. God damn it._

"S-saw… it on your folder," Sora shivered as he hugged his arms tightly to his body. The brunette shifted a bit, peeling off the soaking jacket. The shirt beneath, a tight black one, clung to the brunette's body, barely wet. Sora's jeans were damp, but not to the point of needing new ones.

"Oh," Riku supplied and rested his head against the threshold. "Is there any particular reason you're here?… I mean, it is eleven."

"I sort of locked myself out of my apartment," Sora answered, laughing nervously as he looked to the side. "I tried getting back in, but that didn't work. I really didn't have any other place to go so I just thought maybe I'd come here?… I'm sorry, it was a stupid idea. I … just had no other place to go and," Sora trailed off, eyes peering downwards.

"Here, come in," Riku breathed gently, moving to the side to let Sora in. "You're probably freezing, and standing in a hallway isn't going to solve anything."

"Thank you, Riku," Sora whispered as he entered, his arms still hugged tightly to his small body.

The brunette followed Riku into the living room. Riku motioned for Sora to take a seat next to him. The brunette happily complied. A moment of silence shrouded the pair after that. Blue eyes remained on the ground as jade ones surveyed Sora's form.

"Want me to get a towel or something?" Riku asked, uncertain what to do.

"I'm fine," Sora answered, declining the offer.

"All right," Riku replied and laced his hands together in his lap. Another moment of silence. Riku couldn't help what came out next. It was nagging him and he just couldn't control his lips, "Why didn't you go to your boyfriend's place instead of here?"

Riku had him trapped there, and they both were aware of it. "My boyfriend lives with me," Sora answered, wet, brown locks sticking to Sora's rosy cheeks.

"He wasn't home?" Riku asked, curiosity flickering in his green eyes.

"He works late," Sora informed Riku, never once lifting his gaze to meet Riku's. "I'm surprised he even got with me with all that's been going on in my life lately," Sora trailed off, his voice sounding incredibly weak and drained of energy.

"And you didn't call him to ask for an extra key?" Riku nagged, eyebrows arching.

"…I didn't want him to leave work for something as stupid as me locking myself out," Sora explained, resentment towards himself in his voice. This caused Riku's frown to grow in size. "He works night-shift so he couldn't afford to leave work to let me in. I… would have called him, but I didn't want him to get angry or something stupid like that and rush to come to my rescue. So… I just came here…" And that was Sora's story.

"…" Riku shifted his lips side to side, mind lingering on what Sora said. "If my boyfriend locked himself out, I'd drop everything and go straight home. Especially if it was raining," Riku said honestly, looking to Sora. _But I'd never share a place with my boyfriend. It never gets that serious. Dates, yes. Coming over, yeah. But living together?… That's too serious._

Sora didn't comment on Riku's statement. Instead, he changed the subject. "I'm sorry about earlier," Sora whispered.

"I'm sorry too," Riku interjected, chewing his bottom lip. "If I had realized you were … with someone I wouldn't have even asked."

"We got together yesterday, so I don't blame you for not knowing," Sora said in a quiet voice. Blue eyes remained glued to the ground as he spoke. Riku found it a bit rude, but didn't question the other. "Did you really want to kiss me?…"

Riku paled. What the hell was he supposed to say that? Kissing your _client_! Would Sora be offended? Riku swallowed hard and coughed. "What if I did?"

"No one's ever really _wanted _to kiss me. I mean, they have, but they've never asked…." Sora trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.

Riku couldn't help but asking, "What if I had just kissed you?"

Sora blinked and contorted his lips into a fragile smile. "But you didn't," Sora reasoned, still not meeting Riku's gaze.

"Yeah, I didn't. Let's just drop it," Riku grumbled, knowing that neither of them were getting anywhere on that subject. It had been awkward, and a spur of the moment thing. That was all. Now that Sora was taken, Riku saw no point in pursuing the beautiful teenager. Though, something in his heart refused to give up that easily. He _wanted_ a date so _badly_ and Sora was playing hard to get.

"Sora?" Riku questioned when there were no more spoken words.

"Hm?" Sora finally lifted his gaze off the carpet and over to Riku.

"Will your boyfriend be mad that you're here?… I mean, he doesn't know you're not home. Will he worry?" Riku asked, doing a wonderful job at hiding his envy towards whoever Sora's boyfriend was. _He has to really have one. No one can devise that good of a story off the top of their head. But still…_

"I'll call him?" Sora suggested. "I'll tell him not to rush home or what ever and that I'm over a friend's and having a good time or something like that. I'll leave out the part about losing my key," Sora answered simply with a faint smile.

"You do that," Riku said as he watched Sora arise from the couch. The brunette dug into his pockets. Soon afterwards, Sora emerged with a blue razor. Sora paced out of the room and into the hallway. The conversation on the phone could barely be heard by Riku. Riku strained to listen, but the pounding of rain was making it quite hard.

"He's in my house," Riku whispered to himself, giving up on eavesdropping. "He's in my house and I can't touch him." The frown remained on Riku's lips as he glanced at the coffee table. There were papers regarding the case spread out, along with other nonsense. In the middle lay a book-marked novel - _Innovation_.

"He said to have fun," Sora laughed as he re-entered the room.

"Okay then." Riku forced a smile as he watched Sora sit down next to him.

"Am I keeping you up?… I can leave… if you want…" Sora looked concerned and worried again.

"No, stay," Riku said in a gentle voice. _I like when you're around me. It's calming and yet exciting. It makes me feel … good._

"Positive?" Sora asked to confirm.

"One hundred percent," Riku answered as he leaned back. Silver hair fell down onto the attorney's shoulders. It was odd. Having Sora here reminded him of all the time he had spent with the brunette. The club. The ice-skating rink. Lunch. The office. Sora's house. And now his house. It was such a short time, but it felt like years.

Sora widened his eyes when he saw all the papers spread out. "You've been doing this much research on it?…"

"Yeah. I want us to win it," Riku said as he leaned forward to poke a random paper. Aquamarine eyes departed from the paper and to the businessman beside him. "You cold, Sora? I.. can get a blanket?" Riku suggested.

"I'm fine." Sora shook his head and then ran a hand through his damp locks. "Just a bit worried about my case, that's all… I don't want to lose everything. I'm still holding out hope that maybe he'll have second thoughts. But if that's the case, I'll still pay you full!" Sora added on quickly, looking to Riku weakly.

"Don't worry about the money," Riku replied, shaking his head to dismiss the subject. "Right now your job is the most important thing."

"Thanks, Riku…." On Sora's face was a look of genuine gratitude. A smile graced Sora's lips as he shifted on the couch, hugging his knees to his chest. Earlier dull eyes were now filled with a bright glimmer once again. "Does anyone live here with you?"

"My room-mate, Axel. And his boyfriend is always over too. They're off on a date," Riku explained, a bit glad that he had the apartment to himself with Sora.

"Oh…" Sora answered with a gentle laugh. "And you're not out on a date?…"

Riku felt something gnawing away at his heart. He groaned at the idea. His heart was just fine. He was just fine with pointless dates and flirting. It was fun and it made him happy. But just having Sora ask him why he wasn't out, enjoying a beautiful night like this, made his heart sting just a bit. "No one asked me," Riku answered simply.

"Oh…" Sora said again, eyes now not removing themselves from Riku.

"Do you wanna spend the night here?…" Riku suddenly asked. The question caught him off guard as well. _And now I want to smack myself. We barely have enough room for two people, let alone four if Roxas comes over. _

"….Would it be a bother?" Sora asked, biting his lip nervously.

"Not at all." Lie. "Though… my room-mate and Roxas usually take up one of the beds and the couch. They screw enough and yet rarely share the same bed. It's bizarre," Riku mumbled and then looked back to Sora. "I.. can sleep… er, somewhere and you can have my bed?"

"I don't want to be a burden," Sora whispered uncertainly.

"You aren't." Every moment he had Sora here the bond grew stronger. Every moment Sora was with him was a moment Sora wasn't with his boyfriend. Each moment was another with Riku and no one else.

"…You're really nice," Sora commented, smiling faintly at his attorney. "When we first met I was actually a bit scared .. But you're really kind and considerate."

"Thanks?" Riku laughed and arose from his seat. "You look tired, let me show you the room," Riku said as he extended his hand to help Sora up. Sora gladly took it and hoisted his tired body up and off the couch.

Eyes met as their hands lingered together. Heat rose in Riku's cheeks from every passing moment. Sora quickly suppressed the need to kiss Riku's cheek and let go of the other's hand, as if it had burned him. Riku quickly snapped back into reality and lead Sora down the hallway to his bedroom.

"There's the bed." Riku motioned inside the room, to the bed closet to the door.

"All right. Are you sure?…" Sora trailed off as he entered the bedroom, cautiously taking a seat on the edge of Riku's bed. It was comfortable, no doubt. "It's comfy," Sora remarked.

"I'll sleep in the chair, don't worry," Riku said and then added on, "You're my guest, don't worry about it."

Sora looked at Riku with gratitude before slipping under the covers. A shiver slipped down Sora's spine when he realized that Riku was staring at him. "Good night, Riku," Sora said as he nuzzled his face against the pillow. "Thank you so much…"

"You're welcome…" Riku trailed off, shutting the light off and closing the door. Riku leaned up against it and literally smacked his forehead. "I'm a fucking idiot…" Riku said in an angry tone as he stalked into the living room. The chair was his _least_ favorite piece of furniture of the apartment. And only for Sora would he subject to sleeping in it.

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**M**idnight Meetings

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Axel did not return to the apartment until one a.m. (twelve-fifty if you wanted to be exact).

Roxas clung closely to his red-headed boyfriend. Their hands remained tightly interlaced as they wobbled carefully into the apartment, as if not to make any more unneeded noise. Axel didn't notice Riku's sleeping form curled up in the chair, nor did he notice the extra jacket on the rack. Axel's mind was stuck on the blonde beside him who was quite drowsy. "You can have my bed tonight," Axel cooed smugly, drawing Roxas closer to his chest. "Let me just get my pillow from my bedroom, k?"

Roxas nodded, a bit drunkenly. Before Axel could scamper off to do as he said he would, Roxas had captured the red-head's lips in a searing kiss. They remained standing there for a few moments, lips hotly attacking one another's. Axel smirked against the kiss cockily, hands traveling freely without hesitation. It was three minutes before they broke off, breathlessly.

"I'll… be back," Axel promised as he stumbled away from the hazy-eyed blonde. Axel, who had no alcohol in his veins for once, made his way down the hallway towards the shared bedroom. Wordlessly, the red-head slipped in and made his way over to his bed.

Spotting a body beneath the sheets, he paused. "Riku, you asleep already?" Axel asked, arching an eyebrow. When he got no answer, he continued, "Roxas is sleeping in my bed tonight. I'll be on the couch if you need me." Another pause. "Riku, hey…"

Axel made his way over. Without warning, Axel jabbed the body's shoulder as his other arm reached to turn the light on.

Blue eyes met cat-like ones.

"Who are you?!" Sora squeaked in a quiet voice, eyes widening as he tightly held the blankets close to him. Sora's knuckles turned white from holding the blankets so tightly, but he paid the changing color no heed. The stranger in the room demanded his utmost attention.

"I could ask you the same thing," Axel retorted in a quiet voice, not wanting to make Riku or Roxas worry. "Where's Riku?"

"…The living room," answered Sora slowly, looking at the man. The brunette blinked. "Are you … Axel? Or Roxas?"

"Axel," the red-head confirmed smugly. Green eyes stared at the brunette before a look of understanding crossed his face. "Wait a second, you're Sora, aren't you?" The smug look turned into a wide grin.

"Yeah…" Sora trailed off, breathing becoming a bit uneven as sleep exited his body. The sound of rain entered his ears once again, reminding him of what he had forgotten for a few moments.

"Let's see.. You're in Riku's bed. That must mean the two of you had sex," Axel stated nonchalantly. "So, he finally wooed you, eh?"

"What?!" squeaked Sora again, blushing a dark red. "I'm not! We didn't…" Sora took a deep breath, his cheeks radiating an unexpected warmth at the idea of seeing Riku naked. "I got locked out of my apartment and Riku offered me a place to stay, that's all."

"So… you guys haven't?…" Axel asked, arching an eyebrow. Sora shook his head to confirm. "That's a bummer, the guy likes you a lot."

Sora flushed a darker red and stared down at the blankets. "He does?" wondered Sora with a shaky voice.

"Well, _duh_," Axel laughed as he crossed his arms, wrinkling his nose at the shorter brunette. "Has he kissed you yet?" Eyebrows furrowed with curiosity, silently demanding an answer.

"N-no," Sora stammered, shifting nervously. "He…he asked to, though…"

"And you said no?" Axel arched an eyebrow in disbelief. No one had really ever denied Riku of a date or a kiss before. This was quite the oddity. The red-head placed his hands on his hips, as if he didn't believe what he was hearing.

"I… have a boyfriend," Sora explained and bit his bottom lip. "Riku didn't know that."

"Bummer," Axel said again, sighing. "The kid's got it _bad_ for you."

"I'm nothing…special," Sora reasoned, his cheeks still a hot red. His mind tried to catch up with his rapidly beating heart. "He deserves someone better than me. Someone that'll make him happy." Sora looked down again, unable to meet the stranger's eyes.

"Hmm…" Axel observed the brunette for a moment. "You remind me of Roxas," commented Axel with a satisfied look crossing his slim features. "So unsure of yourself. And you too look somewhat alike," Axel trailed off when he noticed that Sora was spacing out, not really paying attention. "You know, one kiss wouldn't kill ya."

Sora's eyes snapped open and shot Axel a flustered look. "I'm not gonna cheat on him!"

"It's not cheating if you don't mean it," Axel sang in amusement. The red-haired male laughed before extending his hand to ruffle Sora's hair. "Oh well. Riku will just have to get over it."

Sora stared down at the blankets. He wouldn't deny it. Riku was kind and handsome. The short time he had known Riku he had learned so … actually, he barely knew _anything_ about Riku. Nothing … whatsoever. Except that he was his attorney and lived here. Sora shivered. He had never really asked Riku about himself. It had always been about himself. Perhaps if he paid more attention to Riku he would have had a different outcome.

"Riku's a good person." With that said, Axel promptly grabbed his pillow. "My boyfriend's going to be sleeping in…" Axel paused. "You know… me and Roxas can share the living room if we tried hard enough. I'll let Riku sleep in here with you."

Sora felt a light blush spread across his face. "Thanks…"

"Welcome," Axel said with a faint smile at his new friend as he left the room. Next step? Wake Riku up.

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**Y**ou're breaking my heart

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"Thank you for letting me stay last night, Riku."

Sora smiled fondly at his attorney as they entered the brunette's office. Riku's hair was messily in a ponytail, as if to keep it from getting in his way. The attorney was shocked to find himself waking up that morning in the same room with his _client_. His mind screamed at him that this was a bad idea, but his heart ached for something different. Sora was an amazing person, from what he had seen. So giving up was just out of the question, no matter how pointless pursuing the brunette was.

"You're welcome," Riku answered as he took a seat in front of Sora's desk. The silver-haired male yawned and ran a hand lazily through his hair. "When's the first court hearing?" asked Riku.

"Um…" Sora's eyes shifted downward, staring at the papers.

"What's wrong?" Riku asked, cocking his head to the side. "You do know the date, right?" Concern was evident in Riku's voice.

"It's next Monday," answered Sora after a few minutes. The brunette shifted nervously in his seat, beginning to absentmindedly play with papers. Blue eyes refused to look up and meet Riku's gaze. Not when he knew what he did. Sora felt a bit _guilty._

"How about I go get some coffee for us? Where's that special room?" Riku asked, arising to his feet, figuring that he'd give Sora a few moments to himself. They had woken up, showered (individually, of course) and then went their separate ways. It was now ten (Sora had left at eight sharp to his apartment, knowing full well he could get in now).

"Four doors down on the right," Sora said with a sigh. "Thanks, Riku."

"Yeah, welcome," Riku said with his own sigh. _I'm such a hopeless romantic. _Riku mused to himself as he left the room and headed down the hallway.

Four doors. Four doors. Aha! Riku found the room and slipped in. There was only one other person in the conference room, and that person was watching the television, ignoring the steaming pot of coffee on the large counter. Riku glanced curiously at the stranger. The female had black hair and soft brown eyes (from what Riku could see). Her facial features were soft and caring, as if she was a gentle person.

"Hello," the woman greeted, glancing away from the tv set to peer at the male. A pause and then, "Are you new here?"

"No," Riku answered quickly, shaking his head. "I'm Riku Karada, corporate attorney," he mumbled rapidly, making his way to the coffee. The male snagged two cups of coffee and then the pot, carefully pouring.

"Attorney. For the company or individual?" the black-haired woman asked, tilting her head to the side. She blinked and then quickly added on, "I'm sorry for being rude. I'm Tifa. I just started here a few weeks ago myself," she explained. "I was a hair stylist, an amazing job, but the business shut down," she grumbled that part. "And now I'm stuck at this boring one."

"I see," Riku said, nodding slowly. He put the pot back where it belonged and allowed the two mugs to cool a bit. "And I'm an individual. Sora Kayaki hired me," Riku explained.

"Mr. Kayaki," Tifa said to herself, thinking. "That's the co-president, right?"

"Yeah," Riku agreed and leaned against the counter. _The co-president who I can't seem to get my mind off._

"I heard about that. He's being sued, right?" Tifa inquired, arising from her seat. The black-haired female paced over, her eyes never once leaving Riku's form. Behind that kindness was a perkiness and chirpiness that was temporarily hidden.

"Mhm." Riku sighed and picked up the two mugs. "I have to go bring these back to him. It was nice talking to you, Tifa, was it?"

"You too, Mr. Karada," Tifa replied with a warm smile.

Riku nodded his farewell and slowly headed back down the hallway towards Sora's office. The door was ajar, unlike how he had left it. Riku titled his head to the side. _Did Sora go off somewhere?_ Riku blinked curiously and nudged the door completely open with his shoe. Inside was an empty office. Riku frowned and set the two mugs down on the cluttered desk.

"Where'd he go…" Riku trailed off, glancing around the room.

A second door caught him off guard. The door was slightly cracked, as if it had recently been used. Curiosity got the better of Riku as he made his way over, eyebrows furrowed. _Second room, huh? Don't know why I didn't see it before…_ Riku paused in front of the door, about to call out for the brunette.

But what he saw through the crack of the partly-closed door stole his breath. Emerald hues widened and then tripled in size. A hand shakily gripped the door for support as he silently stared in, ears barely picking up the conversation that was going on inside the small room.

"Xemnas…I…" Sora trailed off, looking down at his feet. The brunette tensed when he felt the older's male's hand slip onto his cheek once again. Sora weakly complied and looked up into unsettling eyes. "…"

"Where did you go last night?" Xemnas demanded, his voice a harsh whisper. "I tried calling your cell," the male seethed, narrowing his eyes. Though, his hand remained softly on Sora's face, not budging. "You didn't answer."

"…I had it off," Sora whispered, shaking his head. "I was at a friend's…"

"What friend?" Xemnas inquired, lips piercing into a thin line.

"Kairi," Sora lied, fastening his eyes shut.

"You had me worried," Xemnas breathed, tilting Sora's face in his grasps. "I thought, for a second, that you were running off with someone else," Xemnas chuckled the words before leaning forward and pressing a long kiss to Sora's lips, rendering the brunette helpless and causing him to freeze.

Riku paled and felt his breathing turn uneven. _Sora…_ Sora was dating _Xemnas_? How the hell did that even make _sense_? Xemnas was _suing_ Sora. Why would Sora date someone that's _suing_? Riku stared in disbelief, not understanding what was going on at all. Jealously coursed through Riku's veins. So Sora had lied to him? Sora never called Xemnas…

"Good," Xemnas purred cruelly against Sora's lips. The male nipped at Sora's bottom lip before pulling back, placing his hands firmly against Sora's hips. "I wouldn't want anyone to have my beautiful butterfly."

"…Yeah…" Sora whispered weakly, wincing against the invasive touches.

"We can forget the lawsuit now, _Sora_,_"_ Xemnas hummed against Sora's ear, his lips pressing every now and then against the shell of the ear. "We can sell your place, you can move in with me, and then we can run the company smoothly again."

"…" Sora didn't answer at first.

"Right, Sora?" Xemnas asked, fingers curling at Sora's hips.

"Right…"

Riku felt like being sick. The attorney turned away when their lips met again. The silver-haired male stumbled away from the door and to the exit of the office. He made his way into the hallway. Once there, he promptly leaned against the wall, holding his head with his hand. "I can't believe this," Riku trailed off. "I can't believe he's dating him…"

The fact that Riku was out of a _job_ didn't even bother the male. Riku felt weak as he took deep breaths, trying not to faint. And Riku had no idea why, but he felt cold tears prickling at the corner of his eyes, as if he had been betrayed.

Riku coughed a bit and closed his eyes, trying to calm his shaking body down. A moment passed and Riku felt a body brush past. He figured it was the _bastard_. Riku winced and just stood there, eyes tightly shut as he desperately tried to regain his composure.

A moment later the door opened and a concerned Sora poked him. "You okay, Riku?…"

Riku's eyes opened. Cloudy green hues met blue ones. Sora winced when he noticed how distraught Riku was. "Riku, are you okay?" Sora repeated, his voice quiet. He sounded _broken_.

"Why?" Riku asked emptily. _Why are you with him when I'm here, willing to take you out on a date?… Why are you doing this, Sora?!_

"Why….what?" Sora inquired slowly. The brunette motioned for Riku to come in. Riku shakily did such. Seconds later Riku's body made contact with the chair. A weak sigh slipped from the attorney's lips as he tried to catch his breath. "Riku, you look really sick."

"If I was out of a job, you should have told me instead of lying to me," Riku mumbled, a tinge of anger in his voice.

"…" Sora looked down, realization hitting him. "Riku… you don't…"

"You can keep your money. I don't see why you'd pay me," Riku mumbled, trying to stand up. He failed, though, seeing his mind was spinning and spinning.

"Riku, please…" Sora begged, shaking his head furiously. "It's not like that."

"Then what's it like?" Riku asked, eyes snapping up to meet Sora's flustered blue ones.

"I told him I couldn't… I told him that I couldn't give up the company … that I couldn't date him just for him to toy with me." Sora took a deep breath and stared down at the ground. "I told him that if he wanted to sue me, that he should go right ahead, but I wasn't going to continue dating him…" Sora trailed off.

"Make up your mind!" Riku finally snapped.

"What?" Sora's eyes widened at the sudden assault.

"One day you're single, the next you're taken, and then you're broken up. Make. Up. Your. Mind," Riku hissed and suddenly regretted it. It was just so confusing. Sora was with someone one day and the next not. Riku couldn't keep up with this hectic routine.

"I don't want to be with him!" Sora argued, looking quite hurt. "You don't understand anything! Just please, drop it… My personal life isn't important. Just because…"

Sora was cut off when he felt himself suddenly being jerked down onto Riku's lap. The brunette let out a loud squeak and looked nervously at Riku who had his arms tightly around Sora. "Um…Riku?…" Sora whispered uncertainly, his breathing stopping.

"You're a beautiful person, Sora. Getting your heart toyed with isn't settling well with me," Riku cooed, his arms tightly around Sora, refusing to let go. "Is the only reason you said you'd date him is that he said he'll drop the lawsuit?"

"Yeah…" Sora whispered, body tensing from the close contact. He tried to scamper away, but then relaxed. This was Riku. The person he just involuntarily hurt. "…I shouldn't have done that, I guess?"

"Never get involved with someone who has ill feelings towards you. You'll get backstabbed," Riku informed Sora, finally letting go of the brunette. Sora arose and stared quizzically at the man in the chair. "I'm sorry for that… I just wanted to calm you down and make you listen. That's all."

"I'm stupid, I know," Sora murmured, shaking a bit. "I could have gotten into a mess load of trouble…"

"Yeah," Riku agreed and stared at Sora. "So, I'm still your attorney?"

"Yeah…" Sora nodded and shivered a bit. "And now that I broke up with him I don't think he's going to be even remotely nice to me… or you. ….He thinks you're the reason why we broke up after two days."

Riku frowned. "He thinks that?"

"He does," Sora confirmed and bit his lip.

"Is it?…" Riku found himself asking, hope drenched in his sultry voice.

"N-no! I already told you the reason!" Sora quickly stammered, crushing Riku's hopes right in front of his eyes, a bit inconsiderately. "Besides… I'm a mess and I know someone like you would never give me the time or the day… and …"

"Really, is that so?" Riku challenged, arching an eyebrow. "How about a date?"

Sora paled and looked into Riku's eyes. "D-date?" Sora repeated.

"I can be the rebound," Riku said softly. "Something to get your mind off your work and stress and him. You know. The person you go out on a date with. The rebound," Riku explained.

"…" Sora stared at Riku for a long moment. "You want to go out on a date with me?"

"Consider it a favor," Riku said quickly. _I want to get to know more about you, Sora. I want to know why you so eagerly accepted Xemnas' deal then ended it. I want to know how your mind works and what you're thinking. I want to know if I even stand a chance at being someone in your eyes. _"It's just one date, Sora. It's like us going out as friends, kind of. There's not commitment or what ever." Riku hated the fact that he was making it sound less like a date by the minute.

"That does sound kind of nice," Sora said with a faint smile. "One date won't kill me," Sora agreed and sighed and then nodded. "Then, we'll… go out on a date," Sora concluded. "No talk about the case or anything pertaining it. Just… a date."

"Exactly." Riku smirked at this. _You'll see things my way soon, Sora. You'll see that I'm not that bad of a person to date. You'll see…. You'll see that when I touch you, my embraces are warm and open and I'm willing to give you time. _Riku blinked. Was he really crushing on Sora that badly? It appeared so. After all … he hadn't had a _serious_ relationship for quite a few years… and maybe Sora could be the new spring in his step?… "How about all day tomorrow?" Riku suggested, simply because it was a Saturday.

"Okay." Tomorrow. A real date. Tomorrow.

* * *

_so yeah. Confusing, much?_

_So Sora and Xemnas dated for two days because Xemnas said he'd drop the lawsuit if he and Sora dated._

_The horny bastard._

_Ahem._

_And yeah. Things will make sense sooner or later._

_And Yeah, they're going on an actual date._

_Whooo for plot progression!  
Leave a review? Anything, really_


	7. first date

**Ardor**

**F**irst **N**ight

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Sora Kayaki had no idea that who he hired was interested in more than just his troubling case.

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Riku was up early the next day. It went without saying that Riku was more than excited for his 'date' with Sora. The attorney had begun bustling around the apartment at eight, ignoring Axel's moans and pleas for him to go back to bed. Roxas, though, slept right through the noise. The blonde was always such a heavy sleeper. Roxas and Riku both were, actually. Axel was, regretfully, a light-sleeper. Thankfully for the red-head, neither Roxas nor Riku snored. Therefore, he usually got a good night's sleep (if you exclude the abundant sex reducing his hours of actual sleep).

"Go back to bed, Riku," Axel demanded as he pulled the blankets tighter over his head. The red-head nuzzled his face firmly against the back of the couch, trying not to let the morning light hit his eyes. Roxas slept cozily in the bedroom. "I know you're happy you're going on a date, but can you please calm down?" the male requested in a groan.

"I'm going over his place at eleven to pick him up for lunch," Riku enlightened, taking a seat on the couch. Riku shooed Axel's feet off the couch so he could have more room to sit. Axel groaned distastefully and opened his eyes. Cat-like orbs stared at his room-mate, as if deciding what to say (and silently suppressing the need to smack Riku upside the head for being a jovial moron).

"His place, eh?" Axel's eyes sparkled with amusement at those two, simple words. "Planning on sexing him, then?"

Riku narrowed his eyes. "I doubt he'll even let me kiss him, let alone _fuck_ him," Riku answered, shaking his head to the side. The knowledge didn't deter the other, though. "But I'm definitely going to over abuse the 'holding hands' thing."

"Give him another massage?" Axel suggested dryly. "You can get practically anything if you relax them enough," mumbled Axel as he raised a hand to push his red locks of hair behind his ears.

"Neh…" Riku diverted his gaze. "Last time I did that he said no. Besides, he _moans_ when I do that… I don't need to walk around town sporting a hard-on, thank you." Riku shook his head and leaned into the palm of his hand.

"Then ask to be excused," Axel teased with a smirk. Ah yes, payback for ruining his sleep. "Or just jack off in front of him. That'll surely make him horny."

Riku further narrowed his eyes. "Can you be any more vulgar?" The attorney sighed after that and crossed his arms to his chest. "I'm just going to steer clear of any situations that could even be considered arousing. And that includes massages."

"Oh," Axel laughed and then paused. "How about you play the 'I what' game."

"The _what_?" Riku commented, eyebrows arching. "Are you trying to pollute my lovely mind with your perverted ways?" Riku's eyebrows wiggled suggestively.

"Your mind has always been in the gutter," grunted Axel. Axel sat up straight before beginning to speak. "The 'I what' game is simple. You see, what you do is make moves on him and if he questions it or blushes say 'what's wrong'."

"I don't get it…"

"Okay, example. You brush your hand against his pants, if you catch my drift, as you're walking by, or when you're going to grab his. If he blushes, say something smart, unrelated to the accident. Act like you didn't know it happened, or that it was purely an accident. Get it?" Axel asked, tilting his head slyly to the side.

"So basically you're telling me to act oblivious of what I do."

"Sort of… like," Axel said as he raised a finger to his lips, gently tapping it. "Like, do things that could put the pair of you into suggestive situations. Like trip and fall with him. I love when those sort of things happen. You think they only happen and _work_ in crappy books, but they work wonders in real-life."

"You're asking me to pin him against the ground?" Riku cocked a brow.

"On _accident_," Axel said with the widest smirk in existence. "Get it? Make everything on accident or don't acknowledge it at all."

"I get it now," Riku said with a sigh and a nod. "That way he won't get uncomfortable, if he thinks I didn't do it on purpose, that is."

"And he gets comfortable with you touching him," Axel reasoned, shaking his head.

"…I never thought you'd actually come up with these brilliant ideas," Riku said with astonishment. Humor flickered in his eyes. Before Axel could kick him for being a jerk, Riku had lunged off the couch and dexterously sailed around the living room towards the kitchen. Axel craned his head to watch his friend.

Riku collected the phone in his hands and raised it to his ear. He quickly dialed Sora's number (he had it committed to memory by now). Eagerly, Riku pressed the phone up to his ear, waiting for Sora to answer. _I'm acting like a lovesick girl. Or a horny guy. Er… I don't really like either… Let's just say I'm acting like myself. Yeah, that'll suffice._

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sora," Riku said in a sultry voice. "Having a good morning?"

"Riku," replied Sora with in a jovial tone. "Yeah, sort of. I just woke up and made a few phone calls. But for the most part, it's going good."

"That's good," Riku answered flirtatiously. "I did some work on the case last night. I've got a good defense going for Monday," Riku informed his client with poise.

"That's great," Sora answered. "Tifa told me she met you yesterday?" Sora questioned.

"Mhm. When I was going to get the coffee," Riku trailed off, the disturbing image replaying in his head. Sora had allowed the bastard to _kiss_ him. Though, there was struggle in Sora's eyes and movements. And to force someone into something that they were _that_ uncomfortable about was just /wrong/. …maybe he wouldn't go through with Axel's game after all.

"Yeah," Sora said flaccidly.

"We weren't supposed to be talking about the case or work," Riku reminded both of them absentmindedly.

"That's right," Sora said almost inaudibly with a quiet laugh following suit. A moment trickled by before the brunette dared to strike up conversation once again. "So, where are we going?"

"That's a secret, So-ra," Riku answered amorously.

"Tell me, Riku." Even through the phone Riku could detect a pout. Lips of the attorney curled up into a grin.

"That'd ruin the surprise," Riku argued imperturbably. He would not be dissuaded easily by Sora's persistence.

"Fine," Sora grumbled in a defeated tone. "Will it be fun?"

"Of course it'll be fun," Riku said with a tinge of mock hurt in his voice. "Are you saying that you think I'm going to bring us on a boring date?"

"N-no," stammered Sora. "I was just….you know! Wondering! Um, sorry."

"It's fine," Riku chuckled and shook his head, imagining the flustered brunette at the other end of the conversation. Those beautiful, bashful eyes and those pouty lips. _I can see why his friend tried taking advantage of him. He's so molestable. _

"Yo, Riku, can I talk to your little boyfriend for a moment?" Axel asked as he made his way into the kitchen. Unusually bright green eyes stared at the silver-haired attorney. Axel made a gesture, as if to silently tell Riku to hand him the phone.

"Hey, Axel wants to talk to you… about what, I wouldn't know," Riku informed the brunette as he eyed Axel cautiously, deciding whether or not to do as Axel told him. "Is that all right with you, Sora?"

"Sure," Sora answered, sounding a bit unsure.

"Thanks, Riku," Axel sang as he grabbed the phone. Riku remained standing there, making sure his friend didn't say anything stupid to his client. But Axel wouldn't do that? Right? Riku blinked and frowned when Axel began shooing the attorney out of the room. Riku grumbled darkly and left to his bedroom disdainfully. "So Sora, I hear you're going on a date with Riku?"

"Y-yeah," Sora replied embarrassedly.

"You broke up with your boyfriend then," Axel said more so to himself, stating the obvious. "I'm surprised Riku jumped the gun so quickly. I mean, not even a _day_ and he's on you like a starved dog."

Sora laughed apprehensively at the simile. "He said it was more like friends hanging out … something to get my mind off what happened with Xemnas and I. So I guess it's a date?"

Axel frowned. "What if he tried something?"

"Huh?" Sora asked, his innocence proving to be a nuisance.

"What if Riku tried, oh I don't know, kissing you?" Axel questioned as he placed his free hand on his hip. Cat-like hues glanced haphazardly around the room before resting on the fridge. The male silently began deciding what he wanted to drink after the conversation. This only proved his lack of … interest in the conversation.

"Um…" Sora trailed off, his voice almost squeaking. "Would he?"

"Would you want him to?" Axel asked, eyebrows arching. Oh, now this was getting interesting.

"If he really … likes me then I guess … but I'm not good at that and …" Sora began rambling and was cut off by a loud cough from Axel.

"One little kiss isn't the end of the world. It'll last five seconds, tops. No tongue, promise. Riku respects you and wouldn't do anything like that," Axel reassured the brunette. "Then again, if you kissed him, you could be in control on how long it lasted and that sort of thing… and it'd probably make him faint." By now Axel was smirking to himself.

"Um…." Sora sounded hesitant. "What if… I was horrible at kissing?"

"It's just shoving your lips against someone else's. It's not that hard, my lord," sighed Axel, sounding quite exasperated. "Though, I have to warn you guys. Daring to date when you're in business with one another is sticky business. Some people may see it unprofessional and question it, you know?"

"…it's just one date," Sora pointed out in a timid voice.

"Of course…" This time it was Axel whose words trailed off, leading the pair into uncomfortable silence.

"Riku wouldn't try to… you know… right?"

"Have sex with you?" Axel inquired bluntly. The red-head's smirk grew when he heard Sora squeak nervously. "I take it that's what you were getting at," chuckled the male. "Nah, Riku wouldn't have sex on the first date. Maybe the second." Axel laughed louder when he heard Sora squeak again. "I'm kidding. Riku's not a whore."

"So… he wouldn't go farther than… a kiss, right?"

"I doubt he would," Axel answered honestly. "Why? You nervous about that?"

"I just don't want to somehow put us into that kind of situation."

"Well, how about this," Axel began informatively; "when this whole case is over you guys can do more dating and see where that takes you. But for now one date isn't going to kill either of you."

"…this case might last awhile," Sora pointed out, sounding a tad restrained.

"You know, when you say it that way, it sounds like you _want_ to date Riku," Axel laughed, the smirk constantly growing by the moment.

"Er…"

"Oh look, Riku's back," Axel cut Sora off when Riku re-entered the room; sending death glares at his friend. "And he looks like he wants the phone back. Someone's _missing_ you," Axel sang and then lunged out of the way of Riku trying to punch him (lightly, though). "Oh, and now he's gonna hurt me for telling you that," Axel said between laughs. "See ya later, Sora."

Axel tossed the phone at Riku and darted out of the room slyly, leaving a very confused Riku standing there. "What'd he say to you?" was the first thing that Riku asked.

"Stuff," Sora said, oddly chirpily.

"I swear, you and him could plan my demise behind my back and I wouldn't know a thing," mused Riku with a heavy sigh. The silver-haired male rested his free hand behind his neck before shyly asking, "I'll come over to pick you up for lunch in about an hour?" 

"Sounds good," answered Sora happily.

"Bye…" Riku's voice lingered off, as if he wanted to say more but never did. They both hung up after that. Riku had no idea that his date was going to be more than he bargained for.

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Riku had _no_ idea - which was a good thing, really.

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Sora nervously clung to the silver-haired attorney. Horror flashed in the brunette's usually calm eyes as his nails dug deeper into the sleeve he clung to. A whimper fled from Sora's lips soon after. His breathing was a bit uneven. Was he … hyperventilating? Aquamarine hues drenched with worry flickered down to the business male beside him.

"Hey Sora, are you okay?" Riku asked, his hands flexing by his sides. It was odd. His fingers felt awfully cold and not entertained whatsoever. They were _itching_ to feel a brush of skin against them. Warm skin. Another hand.

"I…get seasick…" Sora warned. The brunette tugged Riku away from the railings of the boat towards the seats in the middle. The sea breeze danced through his locks of brown as he moved. Just _moving_ made the shorter's stomach twist and churn and whatnot. It was downright horrible.

"You do?" Riku inquired weakly. _Well fuck, that would have been great to know beforehand… Now I must look like a jerk for dragging you out on a ferry to go to the islands… Yeah, I just won the genius award. _Riku's lips twisted down into a frown as he took up residency in an empty seat. Sora quickly sat down next to him. The white of the seats reflected the bright sunlight, making it hard to look at.

"Yeah…" groaned Sora as he buried his face against Riku's shoulder. Fingers tightened around Riku's forearm, refusing to let go. As the boat slightly rocked back and forth as it moved, Sora whimpered. "Stupid boats…"

"I'm sorry. I had no idea you didn't have sea-legs," said Riku with compunction.

"Don't be sorry," Sora argued quietly. "You didn't know." Sora exhaled deeply and then inhaled. Deep breaths. That's what he was doing. And that's what he was going to /keep/ doing.

"Hopefully the islands and sights will make up for this?" Riku suggested wryly. Why did Sora, of all people, have to get seasick? Was the world out to ruin this date? Riku had completely forgotten about physical contact. Forgotten about ideas of kissing and holding hands. Now he just sat there with Sora.

"Of course," Sora stated as brightly as he could. Blue eyes were fastened shut, as if to try and fight off the waves of sickness that were hitting him every now and then.

"I'll buy you something cool to drink when we get over there," Riku said, looking kindly at the other. "A smoothie or something to settle your stomach and then we'll have dinner?"

"That sounds good," answered Sora quietly.

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Sometimes things don't go your way for a reason

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"Feeling better?"

Sora smiled and gave a nod to Riku's as his answer. He quickly discarded of the now empty smoothie in the trashcan. There they walked, side by side, down the small board-walk of the island. Blue eyes were trained on the male beside him whilst aquamarine hues gazed around the area. Eyes scanned the shops that lined the boardwalk. Sometimes, though, hues would stray and glance at the ocean on their left. 

"Hey, Riku?" Sora asked with a faint smile, tugging on his date's sleeve.

Riku turned his head to stare questioningly at the brunette. "Yeah?" They stopped walking momentarily.

"Let's go sit on the beach," Sora suggested with a childish smile (one that Riku really hadn't seen before on the nervous brunette). Without even waiting for an answer, Sora carefully tugged Riku towards the beach, his fingers firmly gripping the fabric of the taller male's shirt. "Hurry up," Sora said with persistence.

"I'm going as fast as I can," Riku argued with a sigh as he followed suit beside Sora.

Once their shoe-covered feet hit the sandy beach, Sora sprinted off towards the shore. The late-teen took a seat on the sand, where the water would not touch him. A soft sigh filtered from Sora's small lips as he awaited Riku. After a few moments Riku made his way over and sat down next to the other. A moment of peaceful silence shrouded them. The only sound to be heard was the crashing of the waves.

"I like this place," Sora commented with a faint smile, not even bothering to look at Riku when he spoke. His eyes were too busy scanning the ocean with marvel.

"I do too," Riku agreed. The male leaned backwards onto the palms of his hands. Silver hair fell over his shoulders as he sat there, staring up at the sky.

"Thanks for dinner," Sora said calmly, hugging his knees tight to his chest. The brunette then promptly rested his chin down upon the rounded tops. "You didn't have to do all of this for me."

"I wanted to," Riku answered pointedly.

"Ah," Sora said simply. A moment passed as innocent blue eyes continued taking in the sight of the restless sea. "Me and Rinoa used to go to the beach all the time when we went on vacation with mom. Dad was too busy with business to go… he was stuck at the office."

Riku remained silent, listening to Sora. "Rinoa would take me by the hand and we'd walk down the shore. It was nice. Mom would yell at us to turn around and smile. She loved taking pictures to show dad when we got back," Sora explained with a content smile.

"Mom would always bring me sorbet because I couldn't have the ice-cream they sold on the beach. She said she didn't want me to feel left out. Heh, I wouldn't have minded. I was too busy running in the waves, trying to swim," Sora trailed off, a small smile slipping on his lips.

"Did you ever go to places like these with your family?" Sora asked, flashing his gaze over to Riku.

Silence. "…Not really."

"Oh," Sora replied and laughed distantly. "I guess I just grew up differently."

"Yeah…" Riku answered with a swift nod.

"It's nice to be back on the beach," Sora commented, his right hand falling from it's position on his leg. The brunette dropped it idly onto the sand. A smile danced onto Sora's lips when he noticed that it made an imprint. "Thanks, Riku."

"You're quite welcome," hummed Riku.

Sora allowed his fingers to trail along the sand, making pointless shapes before wiping them away. A chuckle fell from Sora's lips before his eyes darted back up to the gorgeous male sitting beside him. It was almost unnatural how beautiful Riku looked. A light blush crossed Sora's face as he stared down at his own feet. "Thanks for being my friend," he said quickly.

"You're full of gratitude today, aren't you?" Riku laughed, a magnificent smile displaying on his face. "You don't have to thank me, Sora."

"Heh, I guess," Sora's words lingered off into the sea breeze. "The breeze is nice…"

"It sure is," Riku concurred, eying Sora's hand with a sudden shyness. Green eyes looked down at the pale limb before clearing his throat with a little blush. Gathering his temerity, the silver-haired attorney crept his own hand closer. Hues watched intently as he brushed his palm over the back of Sora's hand, watching for any kind of reaction.

Warmth and color appeared on the brunette's face when he felt a jolt of heat, starting at his hand. Sora looked to the side, lowering his gaze as if to hide the blush and slight uneasiness. But he kept his hand where it was. The brunette's blush deepened and his breath hitched when he felt fingers tugging on his own. Within seconds, Riku was running his thumb on the back of Sora's hand as his fingers intertwined with the shorter's.

"You okay with this?" Riku asked quietly. Silver bangs swished back and forth in the breeze, green orbs watching Sora.

"Mhm," Sora replied a bit too quickly and a bit too vehemently. A rapid shake of his head followed as he concentrated on further interlacing their fingers. Riku blinked in surprise but his gaze softened soon after.

"Hey, Riku?" Sora looked over at the other again, his locks of chocolate-colored hair in his face purposely.

"Hm?" Riku wondered, thumb continuing to stroke the heating skin of his date's hand.

"Have you ever gone fishing?"

"Uh…" _That's a random question … _"No. Have you?"

"Yeah," replied Sora. "The water just reminds me of it. That's all," Sora mused and then shifted a bit, timorously leaning his head onto the silver-haired teen's shoulder. Riku's arm crossed over his chest to ruffle Sora's hair playfully. "Wanna stay for the sunset?" Sora suggested meekly.

"Of course," Riku laughed. _Cliché, but I'm not complaining. At least he's letting me touch him._

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The smallest things can brighten your day

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"You want it?"

Sora shifted his gaze from the chain over to Riku. Nimble fingers held the cold, metal heart that was resting peacefully in the middle. The pads of said digits trailed slowly along the grooves that made up the pendant. Eyes remained focused upon the male who was leaning against the counter, now sporting a pair of sunglasses. After a moment of inquisitive looks from Sora, Riku removed them and placed them on top of his head, the ends resting snugly behind his ears. Sora blushed and then glanced back down at the necklace.

"I'll buy it," Sora suggested, liking the overall look of the jewelry. 

A chuckle was heard before Riku said contrastingly, "_I'll _buy it _for you_."

The tinge of warmth that was on Sora's cheeks increased as he laughed nervously and shook his head. "No Riku, you don't need to do that." As Sora spoke, his eyes remained fixated upon the necklace. It was so pretty. Was it wrong for a male to think that? Sora wasn't sure.

"I want to," Riku reassured Sora, passing over to him. A pale hand extended outwards and placed itself on top of Sora's that had been resting on the necklace. Sora's eyes shot upwards, meeting endless seas of green. Sora quickly suppressed the urge to squeak and thus looked away. His fingers were burning from the feeling of someone else's on them. He liked it, and at the same time, it scared him just a bit. Riku curled his fingers under Sora's palm, removing the necklace from Sora's grasps. "I'll buy it," he restated calmly.

"…Thanks," a quite flustered Sora said in a docile voice.

"You're welcome," Riku replied informally.

Sora watched in a newfound veneration. Riku was awfully kind and considerate. A smile tugged on Sora's lips as he followed Riku over to the counter. Sora's mind, though, danced off as Riku paid for it. This was a date and they had barely held hands. Was he disappointing Riku? Sora felt culpable, as if expecting Riku to shun him for being so shy.

Sora was pulled back into reality by a feeling of cold metal falling upon the back of his neck. Sora jerked suddenly, nearly jumping. Eyes widened and then softened when he realized that Riku was putting the necklace around his neck. An uneasy laugh fell from Sora's lips as Riku messed with the clasp. "Thanks, Riku."

"Here we go again with the gratitude," Riku murmured, eyes shimmering with a growing interest.

"Heh," Sora said quietly as he felt Riku's fingers brush along the back of his neck. A small tingle lingered beneath his skin from where the contact had been. It was odd … how Riku could cause these feelings. It was exciting, intriguing, and yet terrifying.

_He spaces out so much. Am I boring him?_ Riku thought dryly, finally getting the clasp to lock. Fingers lingered on the nape of Sora's neck. As if having been caught by someone, Riku quickly retrieved his hands and laced them together behind his back. "There. It looks good on you."

Sora's face grew in color. "I doubt that."

"Are you questioning my honesty?" Riku interrogated his date with a grin. Before Sora had a chance to answer, Riku had already snagged him by the wrist and was leading him out of the shop. "You do too look nice," Riku said as he lead. Sora easily complied, more than likely willing to follow Riku anywhere, though he'd never admit that out-loud. Having a friend care so much was a nice and welcome feeling. For the first time in countless weeks, Sora's mind was completely off the case.

"What ever," Sora sighed the words in silent defeat.

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Hold me in your arms … please, don't let me go.

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"Come on, Sora. I promise you'll like it," Riku nagged the brunette, lightly tugging on Sora's sleeve like Sora would sometimes do.

The silver-haired teen was trying to get the brunette out of his seat. But Sora wasn't budging. There was no way in the universe that he was going to stand up on this boat! Besides! It was getting dark and if he fell overboard they'd never find him! Wait, correction, it /was/ dark. Night. There was no possible way-

Sora yelped as Riku pulled him out of his seat. Their chests compressed against one another's. Sora's eyes, flustered and confused, flickered up to met Riku's flirtatious ones. Sora mouthed a few inaudible words before glancing to the side, wanting nothing more than to sit down and allow the sea-sickness to pass. Riku was having none of this.

"I promise you'll like it," Riku continued, grinning.

"Fine…" Sora whispered out as he felt his body once again being yanked. Sora shut his eyes, afraid of what was going to happen. A shudder went down his spine, a bad one at that, and he felt the sudden urge to snap away from Riku. But when a pair of arms wrapped around his body from behind the moment they came to a halt after all that moving, the need was diminished. Blue eyes opened, he had forgotten he closed them. They were now at the edge of the boat, overlooking the beautiful sea. Sora's eyes widened at how close he was to the rail.

"You'll be fine," Riku breathed soothingly.

It was then when Sora realized just what kind of situation he was in. Riku's arms were wrapped tightly around him. Arms securely, and snuggly, rested around his waist as Riku's chin was placed on his shoulder. It was new … and nice.

"Riku?" asked Sora, uncertainty coursing through his veins.

"I'm here. I'm not going to let you fall off," Riku explained, his voice oddly convincing.

"Oh," Sora said softly before lightly smiling. As he looked at Riku, he realized that his lips were in close proximity with Riku's cheek. The urge to kiss that pale flesh came and went. Sora quickly turned his head back so that he was looking straight out on the dark waters.

"I'll walk you home when we get back," Riku notified Sora.

"Right." Sora nodded and shyly leaned back against Riku's chest. Arms shakily shifted so that his sweaty palms moved over Riku's.

Riku wasn't sure if that was an accident or intentional.

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Until tomorrow, good night, my unrequited love.

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"Come in, Riku."

Riku, surprisingly bashfully, entered Sora's apartment. Eyes scanned the place, remembering it from his prior visits. Riku vaguely noticed Sora closing the door and locking it. The brunette made his way back over to the silver-haired male a bit shyly. Emerald hues flickered to meet Sora's gaze. Questions were residing in those pools of blue. Questions he didn't know, yet knew the answers too. It was a weird logic and feeling.

"I had a fun time today," Sora began the conversation. "It felt nice getting away from this place."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Riku replied casually. "I hope, perhaps, it eased your mind?"

"It did," Sora concurred. "And we got to spend time together. I liked that…"

"Same here," Riku agreed, chewing on the inside of his bottom lip. 

"Maybe we could … hang out at your place tomorrow?…" Sora asked, his voice shaking from nerves. His voice sounding like he expected rejection. Blue eyes didn't look at Riku directly when he asked. Eye-contact was limited when it came to these type of ordeals.

"That sounds nice," Riku said and smiled warmly. "You can get to know Roxas and Axel better, if you want. I'm sure you'll like them."

"They seem nice," Sora decided and tilted his head to the side. "…Does it bother you that they're … always there, together?…"

"Huh?" Riku asked, not really understanding the question that was coming his way. _Of course them having sex all the time bothers me,_ Riku thought with a mental laugh and a grunt.

"Like … does them having a relationship make you … jealous, I guess?… Lonely?" Sora was trailing off on random words, looking shyly around the room. Brunette hair remained in his face, untamed.

"Oh," Riku stated with a nervous chuckle. "…I sort of feel like that. I mean, I guess it'd be nice to have a relationship that was that close. But it's not really my style, you know? Dates are what I do."

He didn't realize how bad what he was going to say was going to effect Sora until after he said it. Riku's eyes widened when he noticed the hurt in the corner of Sora's eyes. "I! The dates mean something to me, of course!" Riku stated quickly and rubbed the back of his neck, pretending to be suave. _But do they really mean anything?… At all?_

"Oh," Sora sighed, not really buying into the words. But he pretended to believe it. False hope was better then depression and nothing, right? "Thanks for helping…" 

"With…Oh. Yeah, with the whole rebound thing and yeah," Riku rambled, fingers digging into the nape of his neck, trying to keep his mind focused. Stammering and pointless rambles didn't look good. Especially for an attorney.

"Yeah," Sora agreed and looked down to the ground.

"I should get going, its late," Riku offered, pointing over his shoulder to the door.

"Yeah… wouldn't want you to not get any sleep," Sora said quietly, nodding. "Have a good night, Riku."

"You too, Sora," Riku answered, smiling. He allowed their hands to brush as he turned around and made his way to the door. He was stopped, however, halfway there. Sora had somehow managed to grab a hold of his arm and turn him around. Now they were standing there, face to face, chest to chest.

"Something wrong?"

Sora shifted, the heart necklace clanking against his chest silently. It blended with the violent beating of his own heart. "Um…" Sora's hands shakily placed themselves around Riku's neck. His body was trembling as he stood there. 

_What is he doing?…_ Riku thought as he stood there, quite confused.

Sora gulped and laughed before shaking his head. Sora leaned up and quickly kissed Riku's cheek. Riku blinked in surprise as heat spread throughout his body. "…Thanks," Riku said quietly, content to be standing there. Riku was about to pull out of Sora's grasps and make his way back out of the apartment but he was stopped. 

Sora's arm had slid down from Riku's neck to rest on his chest. Fingers pulled at the shirt and the collar, pulling Riku's neck down. Before Riku had time to register what was going on, Sora's small lips were on his. And once they met, everything froze. Neither did anything. It wasn't a kiss .. It was just lips meeting.

Sora trembled, his breathing rigid against Riku's lips. Eyes slipped shut, deciding what he could say to make this not look bad. Sora was surprised when he found his own lips leading the meshing of lips. Shyly, the brunette meshed them together, lightly applying pressure. A kiss. A real kiss.

Riku slid his arms around Sora immediately. The silver-haired male pressed back tenderly. He felt Sora's hand reach up and enter his locks of silver. Fingers twirled the strands around shakily around lithe, feminine-like fingers.

Sora broke off quickly, allowing their foreheads to bump as he opened his eyes and looked to the right. It was a simple kiss but he felt breathless. Riku was close. Riku was holding him. Sora's body shook a bit from the contact but he remained standing there.

"Goodnight," Sora said, fingers falling from Riku's hair.

"Goodnight," Riku echoed. He wasn't sure how or why, but their lips met shyly once again. Rapture. That was the only way to express how Sora suddenly felt. After the brief kiss ended, Riku pulled away, licking at his lips before blushing. The male then proceeded to stumble towards the door, waving off to Sora as he left.

Sora rose a hand to touch his lips. "I wish he was still here…" Sora found himself whispering into the quiet air to no one but empty picture frames.


	8. problems

Uh … yeah. Some plot revelations … not much fluff. Just plot-thickening and progression, if that's what you'd like to call it?

**Ardor**

**P**roblems

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Sora Kayaki had no idea that who he hired was interested in more than just his troubling case.

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"Hello, little brother."

Aquamarine eyes narrowed at once when he opened the door to his apartment. Standing in the hallway, soaked in water head to toe, was none other than Sephiroth. Longer strands of silver hair than Riku's clung wetly to his face and his already drenched clothing. Emotionless eyes gazed at the younger brother, inspecting his drowsy state. Riku shifted uncomfortably, his fists clenching by his side. Knuckles instantly turned white as he eyed the taller male.

"Is there a reason you're here?" asked Riku, something furtive flickering in his turquoise-colored eyes.

"Just wanted to stop in and say hello to my darling brother," explained the other casually, fingers picking irritably at his wet clothing. "I had a run-in with your room-mate the other day. He told me you lived here with him."

"How do you know Axel?" questioned the younger brother. The questions kept coming and probably wouldn't cease for quite some time. It was to be expected.

"We go way back," chuckled Sephiroth as he leaned his form against the door-frame. "Why haven't you been in contact? Have I done something _wrong_?" The words were drawn out, and a mock pout appeared on the male's lips. Sephiroth's demeanor did not add to the pout, it weakened it tremendously.

"You damn well know what you did," snapped Riku, holding the door tightly with one of his clenched hands, as if to prevent the other from entering. Eyes narrowed in a silent warning soon after.

"Oh Riku, that's in the past. Are you going to let something as silly as … _that_ ruin our brotherly bond?" inquired the taller male. Lips pulled up into a sneer as he stood there, relishing in how uncomfortable Riku truly was.

"Fuck yes I am," Riku seethed, keeping his voice harsh but to some degree quiet. He didn't need Axel or Roxas getting involved with his brother, even if Axel _did_ know him and _did_ give the man Riku's location. The shorter silver-haired male's stomach churned at the very idea of both men knowing each other. It was unsettling in every ounce of the word.

"Well…" Sephiroth trailed off, digging into his pockets. "The reason I came by here was because I," Sephiroth reached out and took Riku's hand against the younger's will. "wanted to," cold fingers were upon Riku's warm hand, undoing his fist before dropping something in it, "give you that."

Riku stared questioningly at his older brother. "Why?"

"Because I wanted you to stop living in the past," Sephiroth explained casually. "I mean, _I'm not_."

Riku narrowed his eyes in resentment. A sigh passed the aquamarine eyed male before glancing down at the object in his grasp. "… This is me and her, right?"

"That it is," Sephiroth explained with a smirk playing on his lips. "I saw her the other day. Apparently she's with some Marluxia guy. Any who, she wanted me to give you that. She's moved on; have you?"

"Of course I have," groaned Riku. Fingers tightened around the cold brass locket due to reflexes. "I don't want this."

"It's yours." Sephiroth sneered and then turned his back, about to leave. Riku's voice caught his ears, making him pause in mid-stride.

"Was this really the reason you came all this way to see me?" Riku asked quietly, disbelief and skepticism flashing in his eyes. A low chuckle was heard as Sephiroth's shoulders visibly shrugged, displaying a sign of uncertainty ... Or perhaps just malice.

"Just wanted to congratulate my little brother on his first case," Sephiroth said, his voice oddly taunting. "And for Sora Kayaki, of all people."

"Is that a problem?" Riku grunted.

"Nope," Sephiroth sang in a mocking voice. "Just ironic. That's all."

"How is that _ironic_?" Riku demanded angrily, his grasp on the locket growing by the minute. "Damn it, stop playing mind games and fucking tell me what you mean!"

"I thought you got rid of your anger problems?" Sephiroth asked, glancing over his shoulder to inspect the flustered state his younger brother was in.

"I _did_," Riku clarified, gritting his teeth. "I just don't appreciate _you_, after _five_ years, knocking on my door pretending to be the loving brother you never were. We barely grew up together, we barely got along, hell, we barely _know_ each other," Riku seethed, his breathing become a bit rigid. "So don't walk into my life now. I'd prefer it if you just left."

"I suppose it just runs in the family," Sephiroth said to himself, completely ignoring what Riku had said. An all-knowing look grazed the taller silver haired male's lips before he stated quite nonchalantly, "Good luck with your case. Hope you don't dig up anything _too_ disturbing."

And with that he was gone as fast as he came.

"Fucking ass," Riku growled, closing the door. And then silence and realization engulfed him. Riku's back hit the closed door as his knees buckled and gave out. His exhausted form slumped down the back of the door until he was sitting there lifelessly. Trembling fingers extended the lock with scorn. With a shaky flick of his wrist, he opened it and gloomily looked inside. "I'm over her. I've been ever since she left," he declared as he bit his bottom lip.

Chucking the locket across the room, Riku began to take deep breaths. Everything his brother had said was purposely choppy and confusing. That's just how the older worked… Riku sat there, trying to figure out just what he meant by the things he said. Coming up empty, Riku weakly arose to his feet. The attorney ran a hand through his hair, mind feeling a bit weak. So many things were flooding back, it made it harder for him to even _stand_.

He needed sleep…

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Everyone makes mistakes …. Just please don't let me be yours…

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Riku groaned as the phone rang. Apparently Axel and Roxas had left early for work. It was quite surprising that they even _worked_. Amazing that they found time to get work done with all that constant fucking. Riku muttered something under his breath as his tired body searched for the phone on the side-table. It took a few tries, but eventually he found it. With a forced back yawn, Riku answered it with a less than perky, "Hello?"

"Morning, Riku," said Sora brightly.

Sora… "Hey…" Riku replied, holding the phone with one hand and his forehead with the other.

"You don't sound good, you feeling okay?" asked Sora, concern in his voice.

_Why does he care?… He barely knows me._ "I'm fine," Riku lied and pulled the blankets over his head, trying to escape from the sun. Its light was so god-damn annoying sometimes. All he wanted to do was sleep!

"…okay," Sora answered uncertainly. "Am I still coming over today?…"

_Why am I taking out my anguish out on him? He's done nothing wrong … and now, of all times for me to act like an ass. After he actually /kissed/ me… _"Of course," Riku replied, trying to force something _excited_ and _bright_ in his voice. He hoped it worked.

Apparently it did, somewhat. "Okay! When do you want me over?"

"…whenever you're ready?" Riku suggested dully, hand raking through his head. "We need to go over a few things on the case. We have just barely over a week."

"Oh…the case… right," Sora laughed nervously. "What's there to go over?"

"…Sora," Riku said a bit more sternly. "I need to know everything about the company's history, all the transactions and such that you've ever done. I need to know what grounds Xemnas is filing this damn thing on. It has to be a pretty damn good reason for him to think he's going to _win_."

"I told you!" Sora replied defensively. "He thinks that I _stole_ that money and gave it to my sister because the company wouldn't rightfully give it to her!"

"…So he thinks you stole _all_ that money?" Riku wondered.

"Yeah," Sora sighed.

"Wouldn't he have done something about it right a-" Riku began but was cut short by Sora.

"Riku! Stop! Either you don't believe me or you do!"

Something different was in Sora's voice. He was hiding … something. But what, Riku wasn't sure. "Sora… if you're forgetting to tell me something, now would be a splendid time to do such. I can't help you if you don't _let_ me."

"All you have to do is prove that I didn't steal that money and that my record is clean, Riku," Sora explained a bit nervously.

"Sora…"

"I'll be over in an hour…" And with that the brunette hung up.

Riku narrowed his eyes a bit, not enjoying being met with a loud dial-tone. Completely frustrated by this point, the silver-haired attorney pushed the cover off his head and chucked the phone across the room. "I don't need this right now," he sighed heavily, staring up at the ceiling sadly.

Seeing Sora suddenly seemed like the worst idea ever .. He needed to be alone … and Sora coming over wasn't going to solve anything. It probably was going to make matters worse and give the brunette the wrong idea. God, why did everything always end up badly?

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Tell me your woes and I'll tell you mine.

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Sora looked directly at Riku as he entered the apartment. In Sora's hands was a huge stack of files. The brunette silently made his way into the living room, plopping the collection onto the table before stating emotionlessly, "all you need is right there. Everything I've ever done paperwork for or what ever is there."

Riku glanced at Sora wearily, noticing the hurt in his cerulean hues. "Listen, Sora-"

"Maybe I should just go back home and let you look at them…" Sora suggested with a shrug, fingers poking the corner of one of the folders.

"Sora," Riku stated firmly, reaching out and snagging the brunette by the wrist. He felt Sora tense beneath his touch. _Not this _againRiku thought darkly, mind hurting. "I'm having a bad day, I'm sorry."

Sora apparently wasn't listening. "I'm sorry for last night. I … should have never done that. I read too much into you helping my case and being my friend. You're just a kind person and that's all. And I'm just … a nobody, and I should have realized that if I didn't keep this on a professional level, I'd end up getting toyed with…. I shouldn't have vented to you when I first have met you, I shouldn't have become your friend…"

Riku couldn't _believe_ what he was hearing. "Damn it, Sora!" Riku growled, fingers tightening a hold of Sora's wrists. Sora winced, acting as if he was expecting to be hit. Riku blinked a few times before loosening his grip. "Sora…"

"You have no idea what this company means to me, Riku. All the memories … my dad … I've never been good with business… I told my dad that I wasn't made for this kind of job. I told him I couldn't handle it, but he said he believed in me. Part of me doesn't want Xemnas to take it from me, and part of me _does_." Sora looked down at the floor, his arm trembling within Riku's hold.

"….What's wrong?" Riku asked, tugging Sora closer.

"Did you not just hear-" Sora began in a whine but was silenced when his body was pulled flush to the other's. Sora's eyes widened, as if in shock. Blue eyes remained wide open as his hands rested numbly against Riku's chest.

"You just don't suddenly ramble on like that," Riku informed Sora quietly, quickly forgetting his own problems. "Something's bothering you and you're taking it out on me. On us."

"It's… just…" Sora looked down at the floor and surveyed it for a moment longer. "…Nothing…"

"Please, tell me what's wrong," Riku said quietly. "I want to help." Helping someone else sometimes fixed your own problems. … Or it just made you feel better. Or both.

"You… you wouldn't-" Sora began in weak and strained voice. "You wouldn't …"

"Tell me," Riku urged, his hand cupping Sora's cheek. The brunette winced, as if to pull away from the touch. Riku blinked warily, noticing this. It hurt. For some reason, it just hurt to see Sora try and pull away from his touch. Riku's hand fell from Sora's face, a bit disappointed and melancholic.

"You'd…" Sora choked on his words before resting his head against Riku's chest. "I…" Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, tears began to pour down Sora's face. Beautiful blue eyes were now drenched in sorrow and watery crystals. Sora looked like a complete mess at this moment.

"It's just…" Sora sobbed, fingers clenching Riku's shirt. "Last night… when I… kissed you I… was afraid that you'd … reject me or… something," Sora cried, his fingers digging against the soft shirt as his tears dampened the material. "I was afraid … of what…"

"Sora?" Riku wondered when Sora stopped speaking all together.

"…I've really only told Kairi this," Sora made known, eyes tightly shut as hot tears poured like faucets from them. His small frame trembled against Riku's, making his mind feel queasy. "Promise me… that you won't … tell anyone else?"

_Why's he telling /me/?…_"I promise," Riku said emptily, fingers raising to run through Sora's hair in an attempt to sooth the brunette.

"When… I first gave my sister that money, Xemnas accused me of stealing. H-he said that he was going to get me arrested and... make a big deal about it. Presidents stealing always makes news, he said to me. I was afraid. I knew I didn't steal it… I knew Rinoa had a contract and stuff … but no one believed me because we were low on money… we hit a low … Xemnas said he'd put me in jail. I couldn't believe it… my best friend…" Sora choked on his words, nuzzling his face further against Riku's shirt.

"So h-he said if we …" Sora's words fell to a hushed whisper, "…dated… he'd keep things quiet … s-so we did… Then … it ended and… he said if we ever broke up… he'd bring the lawsuit … back up…"

A moment of awkward silence.

"Sora… that's blackmail," Riku said uncertainly before Sora began crying again.

Sora broke out into another round of tears before wrapping his arms tightly around Riku's body. Trembles and shudders echoed throughout Sora's body as he stood there. By now Riku's shirt was drenched from the salty tears.

"W-when we kissed … I s-saw… No. I was afraid that…" Sora couldn't even finish before he began crying hysterically again. "…You don't need this …"

"Sora?" asked Riku quietly. Sora wearily rose his gaze, tears streaming down his face. "Why'd you tell me?" Riku questioned, fingers rubbing Sora's back in a futile attempt to calm the brunette down.

"You… you thought I was lying to you… and I didn't want you to be mad at me…" Sora whimpered.

"Why are you so trusting of me?" Digits continued to stroke the locks of brown and the teen's back, hoping to bring some comfort to the distressed male.

"You… took the time to try and fix things," Sora explained, burying his face against Riku's chest again. "You… tried to help me save my dad's company," Sora repeated in a weakening and strained voice.

"Hey." Riku's hand that was in Sora's hair dropped and sought out Sora's cheek. Cautiously, he cupped the wet skin and tilted the boy's face upwards so that their eyes could meet. "It's just because it's my job. I want you to win this because you're my friend now, and I don't want you to lose the company over something as /stupid/ as that."

Sora softly nuzzled into Riku's provided warmth. "Why … were you in a bad mood, anyhow?" Sora appeared to be changing the subject, as if not to bring any further hurt to his fragile and tattered heart.

"It's nothing really," Riku lied and pulled Sora's face closer to his. "I'm going to find proof that you're telling the truth. He can't do this and get away with it. The court will see right through the lies when we show them the proof and the truth."

Sora smiled, just a bit, uneasy breath mingling with Riku's. "Thank you, Riku…"

"No problem," Riku replied calmly, placing a cautious kiss to Sora's forehead.

Sora shivered a bit but accepted the touch, grateful that Riku didn't try and pursue it. "You're not gonna tell anyone, right?"

"I won't," the words fell gracefully from Riku's lips gracefully.

"You're a… good friend," Sora decided as his eyes slipped shut, looking quite exhausted. "I'm sorry I just broke down," Sora mumbled, laughing apprehensively through the quieting snivels.

"It's okay, everyone needs to vent sometime, right?" Riku answered meekly, shrugging his shoulders. Even though Sora had admitted to having dated his friend to try and cover up his 'errors', it felt like Sora was leaving something out. What? Riku wasn't sure.

"True," Sora agreed and exhaled softly, resting his head back against Riku's chest. "You must think I'm a _lunatic_ for confiding in people I just meet." Even Sora knew how odd he was acting.

"Nah, I understand," Riku replied. _If he only knew the things I refuse to tell him. If only he knew about her … and him._

"I promise I won't randomly break down again," Sora promised in a whisper, eyes tightly shut. Crying took a lot out of you, he was discovering. "I promise I'll start treating you more like my attorney and not my therapist." A strangled laugh fell from Sora's lips.

"Who knows, maybe I'm truly destined to be one," Riku joked, ruffling Sora's hair. The silver-haired attorney's hand lightly tugged on Sora's wrist (he made sure not to make too much friendly contact). Without words, he led the brunette closer to the couch. Sora took it as an invitation to sit down.

"Take a nap if you want or something," Riku advised in the quiet air as he glanced at the paperwork. "I'll look through this stuff and see if I can find anything worth mentioning in the defense."

"Thanks…" A smile leaked on Sora's face as he buried his face against the couch-pillow. The brunette was, to say the least, ashamed at how he had been acting. Riku, though, just stood there in silence.

_He's hiding something … I just know it._ After all, everyone is hiding _something_, right?

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Our little piece of perfection

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"You should have _seen_ the look on your face," Roxas teased with a grin playing on his lips. Those lips tugged into a taunting smirk as he led his red-head boyfriend back to the apartment. "It was _priceless_. I wish I had my camera. Or my camcorder. I would have put it on you tube." A chuckle followed that as Roxas continued grinning widely at Axel.

"Oh shut it, blondie," Axel groaned, wrapping his arm around the shorter's waist. "If you're not careful I'll kill ya in your sleep," Axel warned teasingly as they neared the apartment door. The red-head used his freehand to search for a pair of keys. He figured Riku wasn't home and was off gallivanting with his 'plaything'.

"I'd like to see you _try_," Roxas drawled, purposely making his voice low and _challenging._

"Watch it." Axel smirked at the mouthy blonde as he opened the door, leading his boyfriend inside. Unnatural cat-like eyes instantly settled upon Riku who was staring out the kitchen window, not looking at _all_ pleased. Axel's lips tweaked into a look of concern and puzzlement.

"Where's your toy?" Axel asked as Roxas slipped from his grip, planting a taunting kiss to his other's cheek. That same somewhat darkish grin remained on Roxas' lips as he made his way down the hallway towards their bedroom, completely ignoring Sora who was sleeping on the couch.

Riku's aquamarine eyes glanced over at Axel. "Be quiet," Riku advised his room-mate, motioning over his shoulder.

Axel took the hint and sauntered over to the silver-haired attorney. "Work was just fine, thanks for asking," Axel sarcastically said before pausing. Riku looked pissed. _Beyond_ pissed. "What's with the grumpy look? Kid deny your sexual needs?"

"My brother came by last night," Riku stated emotionlessly, eyes situating themselves upon Axel's lanky form. "Apparently he said you told him I was living here?" Venom dripped from the aquamarine-eyed male.

"I didn't?" Axel replied cautiously, arching a brow. "I've never seen the guy in my entire life. You've never really mentioned him before…" Axel trailed off. "What'd he say?"

"He gave me this." Riku reached into his jacket pocket. Nimble fingers then withdrew a locket before holding it up for examination. "It has a picture of Larxene in it."

"Your ex?" Axel questioned stupidly, cocking his head to the right. "Right, _that_ one. How'd he get that?"

"_She_ told _him_ to give it to _me_," Riku replied pointedly, eyebrows knitting together in frustration.

"Well it's _obvious_ that you don't want it," Axel pointed out as he gazed at the picture. Riku and Larxene looked _so_ happy in it. It was odd. "She was your first love, right?"

"Yeah," Riku replied in a monotone.

"And she left you for another guy, right?" Axel asked, still inspecting the photograph within the locket.

"She did," Riku stated darkly.

"And that's when-" Axel began but was cut off when he heard a loud yawn and then a crack of a back. Emerald eyes flickered off the locket to the brunette who was lazily standing up, looking a bit more relaxed than earlier. "Lookie! It's _Sora_."

"Don't say anything about this to him," Riku whispered harshly, pocketing the item. "He doesn't need to know how dysfunctional I am."

"Right," Axel hummed, staring curiously at the attorney. Without another word, the red-head slipped into the living room, promptly marching over to Sora. He then proceeded to drape his arm around the brunette's neck. "Tell me, how was your _date_?"

"G-good," Sora stammered shyly, a slight blush creeping onto his lips.

"Did ya kiss?" Axel pried, distractedly playing with Sora's hair.

"Axel," Riku groaned loudly, making his way into the room.

"What? He's _mine now_," Axel sang dramatically, both his arms encircling Sora's neck as he stood behind the short brunette. Sora's face went pale a bit as he nervously peered over his shoulder at the other male, deciding if he should be worried or not.

"Fuck you," Riku jokingly seethed, rolling his eyes.

"No, you cannot," Axel replied, a frown slipping onto his lips. "That's reserved for Roxas. Speaking of which, I'm getting kind of lonely and I haven't had a good make-out session all day. If you'll _excuse me_," Axel said as he slinked out of the living room and down the hall. He slammed the door - just for effect.

"…Pervert," Riku grumbled as he rose his hand to his head.

"I'm sorry I slept so long," Sora said quietly.

Aquamarine eyes shot upwards and met sapphire. "It's fine. I just went through the files."

"Did you find anything?" Sora asked hopefully.

"I couldn't find any trace of her contract. But I did find the record of the transaction. The one where you gave her the money. At least that's proof you didn't steal it for your own use," Riku stated with little hope in his voice. "Seriously, I can't believe he'd think you'd /steal/ the money. I mean, you being honest makes you a better boss than him," Riku said vehemently before taking a seat, resting his tired body.

"Heh…" Sora didn't answer, just sat back down next to Riku.

"We have a week," Riku reminded Sora, rubbing his temples. "If everything goes well, which I'm hoping, I'll be able to get a good defense and they'll be _no way_ he can sue. I mean, once I find proof you didn't steal the money this will be over."

"W-what if he gets the media and the police involved?" Sora asked weakly, fearing the publicity over the money and the lawsuit.

"If he hasn't so far, I doubt he will," Riku stated calmly. "He might on Monday, though. But we'll have the proof so everyone will know you're innocent. And presto," Riku concluded in a sigh.

"I'm glad I'm not an attorney," Sora made known after a moment of awkward silence.

"Very funny," Riku groaned as he leaned back, noting the gentle smile on his friend's face. It was a very nice change. "You look really nice when you smile," Riku whispered calmly into the air, eyes temporarily shutting. All he could see was black text …and that photograph and his brother's face looming about. He thought he had put that behind him…

"Heh…." Sora didn't argue nor agree, just blushed. Blue eyes inspected his friend's tranquil state. Sora appeared to be _deep_ in thought over _something_ for a few moments. After wagering some sort of internal war, Sora gulped. Timorously, the brunette leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss to the silver-haired attorney's cheek. "Thank you, Riku…"

A wave of warmth spread through Riku as he opened his eyes and looked quizzically at the brunette whose face was lingering within inches of his own. _He's so beautiful … Nothing like her. He's so innocent. So much that it's almost frightening… So terrified of the simplest things, too._ "You're welcome," breathed Riku, placing a fond kiss to Sora's forehead.

"Friends … aren't supposed to kiss," Sora stated quietly, shivering beneath Riku's touch.

"We're kind of a fucked up version of friends," Riku argued. _I'm your attorney and yet … we're friends … and yet we act like we're dating … but we're not. God, what the fuck are you to me?_ "So I don't think basic friend rules apply."

"I suppose," Sora agreed quietly, leaning his head against Riku's shoulder. "Wanna try teaching me how to ice-skate again?" Sora suggested meekly.

"It'd be my honor," Riku answered.

And that's how they spent the rest of their Sunday afternoon as the _other_ couple of the house continued with their … pleasurable activities.

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don't be fooled 8D that's all i have to say .. review please? 


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